Replacing Dida?

Who do you think is good enough to replace Dida now that the Brazilian is starting to play like the Dida of 4 years ago and be horribly inconsistant?

I think a short list of the worlds top keepers would look like this.

Buffon - there is no way we will ever get this player, Juve know his worth and would not let him be Milans.

Casillas - It would be a posibility ina few years when his contract is nearing the end, but right now he would be too expensive.

Reina - Amazing Keeper, never rated him before he joined Liverpool, but I think he is similar to casillas in contractual situations, maybe in 5 years he's an option.

Van Der Sar - Too old to think about in my opinion, will retire at Man Utd.

Petr Cech - Would Chelsea let him go? Is it even a realistic option?

Frey - the Viola know him worth and his potential, I don't think he would be cheap!

Coupet - Maybe he is the most realistic option, would not be cheap but he is reachable, very good keeper and has a few more years left in him.

and now My choice based on

1)Age

2)ability

3)Potential Price

4)consistancy


Shay Given - He is the most consistant Goal Keeper in the English league, rated by managers, players and critics alike as newcastles most important player (even more so than Owen and Shearer). He is only 29, NEVER HAS A BAD GAME! Pulls of countless "impossible saves" and has only 18 months left on his contract!
He is Irelands best player, he is also the onyl reason Newcastle aren't in threat of being relegated this season!

I think the best option for Milan (or any TOP team looking for a quality goal keeper this summer) is Given, he is immense and I don't just say this because he is Irish, I say it because I belive it is true.

Anyone who doesn't rate this Player either doesn't know anything about football or is simply an idiot.

Agree on Given being a good option. He is an excellent keeper, when he is on form he is a match for any keeper in the world and some of his saves for Newcastle have been absolutely top class. He does make the occasional mistake though ( with Newcastle's appalling centre backs that really isnt a surprise ) and sometimes i wonder about his communication, which is a vital skill for a keeper.

The other Premiership option for me would be Robinson. He has already had serious interest from Utd, Barca, Arsenal, and many others but at the time none of them were willing to gamble as he wasnt proven at the highest level. Now though he has established himself as England's no.1 and has been a fantastic buy for Spurs, one of the major reasons they are pushing for a Champions League place now. He is still in his mid 20's and will more than likely move to one of the elite sides of Europe over the next few years, possibly to Utd as Van Der Sar's heir, unless Milan get there first

Given is a very good keeper but I think you are a bit too patriotic in your evaluation of him. He is a no-nonsense, stable and reliable keeper but to say that he has never had a bad game and describe him virtually as perfect is ... a bit too patriotic . Plus soon, if not already, he would be 30 yo and that's hardly what one could call "a replacement" for a 33 yo Dida. Same goes for Van Der Saar, who's even older than the Brazilian, so I am not sure why you even have him in that list. Coupet is a very good keeper too but I am not sure he is or has ever been at the level to play for a club like Milan.
There are a number of very capable keeprs out there and of them only Buffon, Chech, and maybe also Cassilas could be dubbed "untouchable". This still leaves us with keepers like Frey (Viola), Gomes (PSV), Hildebrand (Stuttgart), Robinson (Tottenham), Reina (Liverpool), and Amelia (Livorno).
Some of these, like Frey and Reina for example, might appear difficult to get but with the right offer, and if we really want them, I don't see how they could say no to the opportunity to play for Milan, and these days, what a player wants, he gets it.

sorry If I made it sound as if Given was prefect but I didn't mean this.

He rearly makes mistakes, he makes amazing saves very few could and its not much dida's age but Dida's form that is a worry for me.

At 29 given still has atleast 7 years at the top level, all good keepers can last untill 35-36 (look at Van Der Sar).

I hinestly think he is the best option for the Top European teams right not considering other (younger) keepers contractuial situations.

Id love to get Cassias on a free

I think it will be mistake if we replace dida.In this time he isn't probably in his best form but he is great keeper.In this time he has no competition.Kalac and Fiori cann't fight for first place in the team so dida is the titular.When Abbiati was here it was different,do you think?

Robinson, Kirkland and Given are aexcellent keepers, and I will be very glad to see one of them playinh for us, if Dida did not regain his usual good forma again.

How about Abbiati? I always thought that at top form, Abbiati is better than Dida. Although, Dida's strength is stopping penalties, and had Abbiati been goalkeeping in Manchester, we may not have won the Champions League.

has any one thought of canizares from valencia (i think) he is pretty consistent and not a bad shot stopper

Canizares is 35/36 isnt he? by the time Dida moves on he will prbably have already retired.

I like Frey and he does already know Serie A which is an advantage but he is a little erratic at times and Fiorentina would charge a lot for him. Same with Reina, Liverpool would charge a lot for him as they dont need to sell. I do think he is slightly overrated too, he is not good on crosses but fortunately for him the Liverpool back four are very strong and Gerrard is very good in the air too so Reina weakness doesnt often get exploited. The same is actually true of Cech, though he is still only 22/23 and will probably become more dominant with time.

Robinson, Kirkland and Given are aexcellent keepers, and I will be very glad to see one of them playinh for us, if Dida did not regain his usual good forma again.

Kirkland is a potentially great keeper and if his fitness could be guarenteed he could be a great acquisition, ability-wise he doesnt have a weakness but unfortunately his injury record is not good. If Liverpool had believed he could stay consistently fit they wouldnt have bothered buying Reina, but they didnt feel they could rely on him to stay fit and i dont think Milan would risk giving such a crucial position to him either.

My two cents...Italy has always produced very good goalkeepers. Why this over-reliance on foreign goalkeepers now?!

I would go for any young,promising Italian goalkeeper in the Serie A. Surely there is talent in the 25-30 age range that is good enough for our team.

What about Morgan de Sanctis? He is 28 and quite good!

Also, let's give Dida a bit more credit...

Ustari or Frey. The first has a lot more potential and would come cheaper.

I agree that Dida deserves our patience.

De Sanctis.....

i think Frey is good,along with De Sanctis. But Abbiatti is the primary choice.He should be the 1 choice after all the year behind dida.England and other league keeper may not be perform well in Serial A as the league pace is difference. I cant see english keeper doing well in Italy and cant even find one in serial now.....