Zenga: ‘Meret has everything’

Walter Zenga gives his view on the world’s best goalkeepers, and insists youngster Alex Meret “has everything”.

The former Crotone Coach was Italy number 1 during his playing career, and he’s been watching events at the World Cup with interest.

“First of all I’m sorry not to see [Jan] Oblak,” Zenga told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“It means one of the best is missing, a candidate to be the best in the world. Right now he’s competing for that with Alisson.

“Among those who are there, I’d say that [Kasper] Schmeichel proves that good blood doesn’t lie, while [David] De Gea has started off on the wrong foot.”

Roma are said to be asking for €80m for Alisson…

“If City are throwing pots of money at full-backs, it’s normal that a big club would invest in a fundamental role.

“You spend so much for a great goalkeeper because he can give you so much and you won’t live to regret it - just as Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

“Italian goalkeepers? There are other schools which have improved, such as the Brazilian one. Alisson is a phenomenon, but Ederson isn’t bad either.

“The Italian school remains the best though, yes. One of our goalkeepers has never had problems in a foreign league, while the opposite is not always true.

“Without adding anything about Buffon or Donnarumma - everything has already been said.

“Then there’s the progress of [Mattia] Perin, the personality of [Alessio] Cragno, the talent of Meret.

“I’ve seen him [Meret] live, and he’s impressive. He has a physical presence, he dominates the area and has personality, coolness and technique. He has everything.

“If I were Napoli I’d take Meret, with an experienced one behind him to guide him. [Pepe] Reina would have been perfect but maybe [Petr] Cech, why not?”