North London Rivalry for the £5M Answer to Both Tottenham & Arsenal Goalkeeping Problem?

Reports suggest there is going to be a £5m North London tug of war this January for Wolves goalkeeping starlet Wayne Hennessey between Tottenham and Arsenal. The current keepers at both respective clubs have failed to impress this season with Heurelho Gomes making a series of errors and Manuel Almunia doing the same though to a far lesser extent.

The Wolves stopper has reportedly drawing interest from a number of Premier League clubs with Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Middlesbrough also thought to be monitoring his progress. Despite the numerous admirers the Wales international has recently been on the bench for his high-flying club side but that won’t stop January bids.

The 21-year-old Welsh international had a superb 2007/08 season which saw him voted into the Championship Team of the Year. The Bangor born keeper was part of the Wolves side that narrowly missed out on the Play-offs after a season that saw the youngster start every single one of Wanderers 46 League games. He has not found it so easy this season with Carl Ikeme replacing him in the line-up in recent weeks. He has only kept 1 clean-sheet in his 8 League starts this season and has conceded 10 goals. Hennessey was also red-carded in the 3-1 win at Preston in late September.

Last season Hennessey kept 19 clean-sheets and conceded 48 goals, a number only beaten by Palace and Hull in the Championship. This is even more impressive considering the youngster hadn’t featured in a League match for the club prior to the 2007/08 season. He had impressed in a previous loan spell with Stockport where he made 15 League appearances as well as setting a Football League record for 9 successive clean-sheets (a total of 857 minutes of football without conceding) and wins - a record that had stood for 119 years!

The former Man City trainee has also established himself in the Welsh national side and has already won 14 caps and kept 7 clean-sheets in those games. This includes shut-outs against the Czech Republic, Bulgaria (away), Germany (away), Norway and Iceland (away). Hennessey also played at U17, U19 and U21 level for his country including scoring for the U19’s with a 40-yard free-kick a la Paul Robinson.

The youngster looks destined for the top but how would Wolves fans feel about selling him and what would be a realistic fee? Do you think the youngster would cut it in the Premier League or do you feel he needs to learn his trade in the Championship first? Would Arsenal and Tottenham fans feel he would be a good acquisition for your club or would you prefer an older more experienced keeper? Which club would be the better move for the player? Let’s hear your views.

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Tags: Arsenal, Tottenham, Wayne Hennessey, Wolves

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