The transfer market does not open again until January, but many teams are already looking to improve their respective teams.

One of the players that has been in and out of the transfer market rumor mill for months is none other than Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas.

The Spanish captain has come under fire in Spain's capital for his inconsistent run of performances dating back to the Champions League final. His World Cup did him little favors and his inability to keep a clean sheet to start the season (except in the UEFA Super Cup) has not helped matters. This lack of confidence in the keeper came to its climax last weekend when he was booed and whistled at by home fans at the Santiago Bernabeu for allowing a goal off a corner kick just 10 minutes into the contest against Atletico Madrid. Casillas bounced back with a more confident display against FC Basel, but there are still concerns about whether he should remain at Spain's big club. Not helping matters is the fact that fans are clamoring for new acquisition Keylor Navas to get some starts for the team. The World Cup phenom has yet to get a chance to play for Los Blancos in 2014-15.

The latest news around the rumor mill claims that Arsenal may be interested in bringing in Casillas in January. This has been discussed at nauseum for months, as many believed that Casillas would be heading to London this past summer. But manager Arsene Wenger instead opted for David Ospina to give goalie Wojciech Szczesny some competition.

But the rumors report that both parties are unhappy in their current situation. Casillas seems annoyed with the lack of support and looks to be searching for a new start. Meanwhile, Wenger seems unhappy with the play of Szczesny and wants more veteran support.

This move makes no sense, to put it frankly. If Wenger is, in fact, unhappy with the Polish keeper, then the logical step would be for him to give the Colombian Ospina some playing time. Ospina had a tremendous World Cup and was one of the reasons why Colombia made a deep run to the quarterfinals. If Szczesny isn't cutting it as the team's top goalie thus far, then Ospina should be the one given the call.

Szczesny has never been known for his consistency and he has the tendency to make costly errors in big moments. But he is only 24, a very young age for goalies, and he is expected to continue progressing and growing. He had a strong game against Dortmund in the Champions League and made some key stops with his team slowly imploding before him. That he eventually conceded twice is not a testament to his poor play, but his team's.

Has he been perfect? No. But has he been bad enough that it merits going out to buy a new goalie, despite the fact that there is a perfectly solid backup that could relieve some pressure or even take over his job?

The rumors of Casillas moving to Arsenal make little sense aside from the current goalie situation. While it would be natural that the Spaniard wants out from where he is no longer wanted, going to England could be the worst possible decision he could make.

For one, he is not the biggest of goalies. While Szczesny is 6'6'', Casillas is only 6'1''. Ospina is an inch shorter than Casillas, but he is far better in the air than the Spaniard. And that is where the real issue lies. The height allows the Polish keeper to have some tremendous security in the air. Casillas not only lacks this physical advantage, but his aerial play has been horrid thus far.

There is no doubt that when it comes to making stops, Casillas has proven that he can still carry the goods. He made some solid point blank stops against Macedonia in Spain's 5-1 win and also made a magnificent save on Tuesday against FC Basel.

But on corners, he has looked completely insecure. He often remains rooted to his line and instead of looking to catch aerial crosses and kill the play, he insists on punching them away. That is the clear sign of a keeper filled with trepidation.

It does not help that the Premier League is far more physical than the Spanish League and that English sides favor the aerial cross a lot more. Arsenal's defense is currently weak and that would only exacerbate the kind of pressure that Casillas would face on a nightly basis.

The final issue with this kind of move is the message it would send. What kind of message does it send to Ospina, who gambled on his future for a chance to play with the biggest club? That he is not trusted? What message does it send to the 24-year-old keeper that is still developing? Casillas is 33, and it is possible that his best days are behind him. If Casillas never regains his confidence and best form, then who will Arsenal turn to in the future? Acquiring Casillas would likely mean an exit for Szczesny or Ospina. Who becomes the keeper of the future?

Arsenal fans better hope these rumors are simply that. Or there could be more problems brewing at the Emirates in months to come.

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