Manuel Almunia: Arsenal's Spanish 'keeper who would be England’s No 1

Under Fifa residency rules Almunia, who features below Iker Casillas and Liverpool’s Pepe Reina in the Spanish reckoning, will qualify for the England national team before the 2010 World Cup rolls round.
How does he qualify?
Almunia joined Arsenal as an unknown quantity from Celta Vigo in 2004, and under residency laws would soon be eligible to apply to become a naturalised British citizen. After living and working for five years in this country the process could be started with the official paperwork likely to be rubber stamped at the beginning of 2010.

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Does he want to play for England?
Almunia has always insisted he would be willing to consider playing for England, were the option available, after being over looked back home in Spain, who have the world’s best goalkeeper in Casillas.
“People are asking this question now because I have been in England for five years and am able to apply for a passport,” Almunia said recently. “I am taking in the information, what I need to do for a passport. I think, for January next year, maybe I can have the permission. Maybe I will get a passport, then after, if I get the call-up (from England), I will think about this.”
Would Fabio Capello pick him?
Goalkeeping is a problematic area for Capello, who has selected David James to start every competitive match since he took charge of the national team, despite some reservations about the Portsmouth goalkeeper’s reliability. He rates both Ben Foster and Joe Hart but is also a stickler for only selecting players who are fit and playing regularly for their clubs – as both David Beckham and Michael Owen have discovered in the past.
So a player with extensive Champions League experience who is in the form of his life would undoubtedly tempt the Italian. If he is prepared to pick a 20-year-old Peterborough United goalkeeper, Joe Lewis, for a double header of friendlies against USA and Trinidad & Tobago, we can be pretty sure all options are on the table.
Is he better than what’s currently on offer?
James, who had been enjoying something of an Indian summer with Portsmouth, has not had as good a season this year as last and though he remains supremely fit his advancing years mean he won’t be around forever. Joe Hart’s development has been hampered by Manchester City signing Shay Given and Ben Foster is a Carling Cup specialist at Manchester United.
Robert Green is the only English goalkeeper with any chance of playing in Europe as first choice next season, with West Ham, but both Paul Robinson and Chris Kirkland’s stars have waned. Until Foster or Hart mature or Green builds on a solid couple of seasons at Upton Park, Almunia would be first choice on talent and experience.
What would the fans think?
The watershed moment of Sven Goran Eriksson being appointed England manager, the first foreigner to do so, was met initially with some opposition but after the failure of Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello was welcomed warmly – especially as he has got the team winning. But accepting players under a flag of convenience is still seen as the preserve of smaller nations and though it might improve the team it would be a blow to credibility.
Fans groups may see the move as another nail in English football’s coffin – but if the 2010 World Cup could be won, all would be forgiven.
Stranger things have (almost) happened
Back in 2004 as Eriksson picked through the ruins of the failed Euro 2004 campaign, he instructed David Davies to inquire about the possibility of four leading players switching their nationality to play for the England national team.
Davies wrote in his subsequent autobiography that “very serious consideration” was given to Eriksson’s idea, despite the obvious public outcry it would have provoked.
The four players in question were Carlo Cudicini – another goalkeeper, then of Chelsea – Louis Saha, Steed Malbranque and Edu.
Davies wrote: “’I like Carlo Cudicini’, Sven told me. However, our goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence was particularly concerned, insisting to Sven it would destroy our keepers. ‘Can you also find out about Malbranque, Edu and Saha?’ Sven asked me. I wasn’t sure what the public reaction would be to an Italian, a Brazilian and two Frenchmen coming into the squad but I did Sven’s bidding.
“However, all my discreet enquiries to clubs and agents led to nothing. Miraculously, the moment our interest became known Saha and Edu were called up by their own nations, making them ineligible.” link...