Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen must leave this summer with clear need for replacement
From the little action Aston Villa have seen from Robin Olsen so far this season, the goalkeeper doesn’t look like he can meet the exacting standards of Unai Emery.
The Swedish international was given a run in the team when number-one keeper Emi Martinez was granted time away from club action after the Qatar World Cup but failed to live up to expectations.
And now, with academy goalkeeper Vijami Sinisalo an ever-present beside him on the bench since the turn of the New Year, Olsen’s future at the club could be in doubt.
Obviously, Villa possess one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Argentina’s number one Martinez, but the drop-off to Olsen from the club’s direct rivals in the Premier League is also vast.
And if Martinez were to leave the club in the summer transfer window, it remains questionable whether Olsen could step into the Argentinian’s shoes and be a first-team keeper for Villa.
What Emery demands from his keepers is the ability to play out from the back comfortably and be at ease passing the ball to centre-back’s either side of the goal.
However, when assessing Olsen’s numbers from his brief stints donning the number one jersey, they don’t live up to the expectations of a side-chasing European football.
According to the Opta-powered stats on FBREF, the 33-year-old has only managed a pass completion rate of 58.6%, a total that is almost 10% lower than Brentford keeper David Raya (65.3%) and close to 20% less than Brighton shot-stopper Robert Sanchez (76.3%) and Fulham’s Bernd Leno (78.1%).
Considering these three teams are Villa’s direct competitors for European football this season, Olsen’s flaws are stark.
Furthermore, the Villa keeper has only managed to successfully complete 93.3% of his short passes – less than any of the three keepers named above – highlighting his inability when in possession of the football.
When consistently deciding to play out from defence and build attacks from back-to-front, defences need to be able to trust a goalkeeper, and this, unfortunately, isn’t the case for Olsen.
He hasn’t been used to playing in this manner throughout his career, so it was always going to be a tough ask to adapt to Emery’s needs, but a replacement needs to be brought into the club this summer.
In other Aston Villa news, players could now be fighting for their futures at Villa Park with a mid-table finish all but secured.