FanPost

Pantilimon's future?

Here's a thought.

We signed Pantilimon from Man City back at the start of July after the Romanian mountain ran down his contract and left in search of another club. Now, the reason for that should be blatantly obvious - first team football... something he still isn't getting here.

Personally, I was very happy with this signing. High expectations are expected of a keeper who was once sought after by a title-contending side like Man City, which meant the competition for the first team spot would be heavily contested between the 6 foot 8 behemoth with a promising past and international status and an cult hero whose many saves contributed towards the greatest of EPL escapes and a miraculous cup run against the odds.

So far, Mannone appears to be winning this contest for no. 1 spot even if his squad number has remained at 25. Personally I'm not really troubled by this, as his performance so far this season is consistent and at a high enough standard to keep the fans happy (a personal favourite being that Neuer-esque tackle on Ashley Young which I got a quality view of) but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tad concerned about the future of Costel.

You have to put it into perspective really: if I was a goalkeeper of his standard I'd be a mix of disheartened and frustrated emotions at essentially going from one sub bench at City to one at Sunderland. I'm not belittling Sunderland, and I'm proud to say I'm a mackem, but we don't compete for the title as much as we fend off relegation - and Costel might feel that he's tired of dawdling around trying to fight for a first team place and would instead prefer a club in more desperate need of a stopper.

Essentially, what I'm saying is that if Mannone keeps Pantilimountain away from the sticks and onto the bench, then we might have to consider the possibility that he might not want to be here for long. But as long as Mannone keeps doing what he does best, it isn't a major concern for me personally.

Are you making a FanPost? Well that's fantastic, just keep it tasteful.

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