With goalkeeper Robin Olsen getting his fourth loan move from AS Roma, there’s of course some doubts on his chances of finally settling down at a new club.
The 32-year-old now has a difficult task ahead at Aston Villa, where Emiliano Martinez has been an unquestioned first choice, and now has a few months to prove himself for Steven Gerrard and the club.
Now in Olsen’s home country, there’s actually some excitement about the move. Swedish outlet Fotbol Skanalen today features an interview with Hasse Backe, described as an expert, who claims Olsen now only needs to work hard to get his chances at the Premier League side.
“The only thing he can do is impress the goalkeeping coach, so the goalkeeping coach then has his dialogue with Steven Gerrard,” Backe told Fotbol Skanalen.
“That is often the way to go. The head coach does not follow the goalkeepers so closely, but often relies on the goalkeeping coach. He must thus impress the goalkeeping coach, who then needs to have a dialogue with Gerrard and once he gets the opportunity, he must be flawless. That’s what it’s about.”
Speaking of the competition with Emiliano Martinez for the competition, he says that Aston Villa would not have signed Olsen if they hadn’t needed him.
“Martinez has stood a lot and has been first goalkeeper for almost two seasons, but why borrow Olsen then? Sure, he can be like a second goalkeeper. In such cases, you are back in the same situation by not getting a foothold anywhere, but going around on loans. It feels a little colourless for Robin Olsen.
“But what should he do? What are his options? Once the opportunity is given, he must take the chance and the opportunity. Then he can not do much more, so I still think he is right with a loan to Aston Villa”
The Swedish goalkeeper, who’d spent the first part of the season playing in the Championship for Sheffield United, has a contract with Roma running until 2023.
