The most compelling evidence is in today's Standard, who reveal that the young Spaniard stayed behind for a shot-stopping session with Henry, Bergkamp, and Ljungberg at training last night, long after Jens Lehmann had packed it in.

It's hard not to believe that the evidence is mounting that Wenger's seen something in training that makes him think that Almunia is a better bet for the future than Lehmann, and that the time is right to give him his chance. Le Boss is sticking to his "no big deal" line though, saying "I don't want to make this bigger than it is, I've left out many big players before. Bergkamp and Kanu, for instance, both spent time on the bench." A typically disingenuous attitude, that: Wenger knows as well as the rest of us that dropping your first choice keeper, if not injured, is quite a different matter to rotating your strikers. Lehmann himself clearly sees it that way. "I was certainly suprised to be on the bench. Aside from my error against Panathinaikos in the Champions League I have not made any mistakes." And he revealed something of Wenger's thinking when he said, "Arsene (Wenger) told me that he did not think I was as fresh as I have been." (well, I presume it's revealing, if you know what it means...). David Seaman has come out in support of the German number 1(ish), saying "Jens is a fantastic keeper. He deserves another chance. He has made a few mistakes but on form he deserves to be the first-team choice."

Of course, some will say that Seaman would say that a keeper should be kept in despite a few slips. But he does have a point. Apart from the odd Grobelaar moment, only one of which cost us a goal, Lehmann has been superb of late. He makes good saves and dominates his box. But perhaps the fact that Wenger stuck with Seaman for so long shows that he's not prone to making quick judgements based on a few errors, which brings us back to the thought that he's simply seen things in the two keepers that makes him think Almunia likely to be the better bet in general goalkeeping terms. Wenger doesn't make many mistakes himself, so we'll just have to trust and wait.

A few pundits have also been pointing out that Wenger called all the first team into his office last week, individually, to talk about their current form (except, tellingly, Freddie and Cesc), and making the further point that a manager's unlikely to go dropping his first choice keeper unless he has an inkling that his defence and captain are, shall we say, not going to be totally upset by the decision.

The Standard also carries an article on Almunia which details his illustrious record between the sticks: in Osasuna's B team and then loan spells at places you're even less likely to have heard of, followed by a move to Celta Vigo where he never played but was loaned out a few more times. A little unfairly, they neglect to mention that the last of these loan spells featured a key role in saving Albacete from relegation (a fate which Celta meanwhile failed to avoid).

Almunia himself says that when he first heard that Arsenal were interested, he thought it was a joke. But when he realised it was genuine he was "proud" (should think so too) and took the bull by the horns....

His courage is not in question, since he was brought up in Pamplona and took part in the famous bull run many times as a youngster. But of course, when a bull is coming at you, you get out of the way...

Incidentally, our Norwegian correspondent Eirik says that various Norwegian papers (so it's not his fault if it's wrong!) are listing tonight's team as follows: Johnsen; Solli, Hansén, Hoftun, Stensaas; Strand, Johnsen, Winsnes, Braaten, Helstad; Brattbakk.

Eirik adds, "Jan Gunnar Solli, deputizing at right-back, normally plays in central midfield, and Frode Johnsen, normally a striker, will play in central midfield. Espen Johnsen, the regular first-team goalkeeper, will return to action. It looks as if Rosenborg goes for the usual crowded midfield that visitors at Highbury seem to enjoy a lot."