Walter Zenga gives his view on the world’s best goalkeepers, and insists youngster Alex Meret “has everything”.
The former Crotone Coach was Italy number 1 during his playing career, and he’s been watching events at the World Cup with interest.
“First of all I’m sorry not to see [Jan] Oblak,” Zenga told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It means one of the best is missing, a candidate to be the best in the world. Right now he’s competing for that with Alisson.
Walter Zenga gives his view on the world’s best goalkeepers, and insists youngster Alex Meret “has everything”.
The former Crotone Coach was Italy number 1 during his playing career, and he’s been watching events at the World Cup with interest.
“First of all I’m sorry not to see [Jan] Oblak,” Zenga told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It means one of the best is missing, a candidate to be the best in the world. Right now he’s competing for that with Alisson.
“Among those who are there, I’d say that [Kasper] Schmeichel proves that good blood doesn’t lie, while [David] De Gea has started off on the wrong foot.”
Roma are said to be asking for €80m for Alisson…
“If City are throwing pots of money at full-backs, it’s normal that a big club would invest in a fundamental role.
“You spend so much for a great goalkeeper because he can give you so much and you won’t live to regret it – just as Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
“Italian goalkeepers? There are other schools which have improved, such as the Brazilian one. Alisson is a phenomenon, but Ederson isn’t bad either.
“The Italian school remains the best though, yes. One of our goalkeepers has never had problems in a foreign league, while the opposite is not always true.
“Without adding anything about Buffon or Donnarumma – everything has already been said.
“Then there’s the progress of [Mattia] Perin, the personality of [Alessio] Cragno, the talent of Meret.
“I’ve seen him [Meret] live, and he’s impressive. He has a physical presence, he dominates the area and has personality, coolness and technique. He has everything.
“If I were Napoli I’d take Meret, with an experienced one behind him to guide him. [Pepe] Reina would have been perfect but maybe [Petr] Cech, why not?”