Arsenal hope to sign a new goalkeeper before the July 19 friendly against Barnet. Those are the words of manager Arsène Wenger on arsenal.com.

After David Seaman left for first team opportunities elsewhere, Arsenal have looked near and far for another, experienced goalkeeper to wear the no. 1 shirt and be first choice. However, Flavio Roma and Christian Abbiati have said no and Santiago Cañizares is too expensive. This week, Colombian international Oscar Córdoba is the best bet of the tabloids. He recently joined Besiktas in Turkey, but can be prised away for a small fee, according to various reports.

It's obvious that Stuart Taylor is highly thought of at Highbury, and that he's regarded as Arsenal's goalkeeper of the future. Still, his experience at European level is low, and that seems to be the force behind negotiations all over Europe. The same lack of experience is probably why Arsenal aren't prepared to shell out on Leeds' Paul Robinson, even if the England international is available for a surprisingly low fee.

Rami Shaaban has recovered from his broken leg, but is unlikely to climb above Taylor in the pecking order. Graham Stack has spent a year with Beveren in Belgium, but will probably be loaned out another season. And the French veteran Guillaume Warmuz is still on Arsenal's books, though he has yet to make a first team appearance after joining as a stop-gap on a short-term contract last season. Warmuz, 33, should have fitted the bill perfectly, what with his many European appearances with Lens, but is for some reason not a part of Wenger's plans.

It seems believable to us that Arsenal want to sign Córdoba now, use him for a season or two, and then let Taylor take over at age 23 or 24. If our former England U21 goalie is as good as the coaches claim he is... he may last as long as Seaman.