Manuel Almunia has been told that he can leave Arsenal during next month’s transfer window.
The Spanish goalkeeper has not featured since suffering an elbow injury in the act of conceding a penalty during Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat by West Bromwich Albion in September, a match in which his mistakes gave away two goals and is likely to be his last for the club.
Almunia was annoyed at being passed over for Wojciech Szczesny when Lukasz Fabianski was ruled out of Monday’s 1-0 loss away to Manchester United with a hip injury, but he has been soothed by Arsène Wenger’s decision to allow the player’s 5½-year stay at the club to come to an end.
Almunia, 33, is adamant that he was fit to play at