Seaman considering future

David Seaman was today deciding whether Saturday’s FA Cup final showdown with Southampton will be the final competitive appearance of his 22-year career.

The veteran goalkeeper, who turns 40 in September, was yesterday dumped for England’s summer fixtures by Sven-Goran Eriksson because he has yet to deliver his verdict on an extension to his expiring deal at Arsenal.

Seaman reaches the end of his contract at Highbury after the Millennium Stadium clash and is taking over from Bob Wilson as the Gunners’ goalkeeping coach this summer.

However, there is still indecision over whether he will continue as a player.

And Seaman, whose career started back in 1982, has been warned he will only be recalled by Eriksson next season if he is first choice for his club ahead of Stuart Taylor and the new goalkeeper Arsene Wenger plans to recruit this summer.

So the Rotherham-born shot-stopper is today mulling over the possibility of Saturday’s glamour fixture in Cardiff being the last time he pulls on an Arsenal or England jersey.

And intriguingly, Eriksson, whose side take on South Africa and Serbia & Montenegro in friendlies before the Euro 2004 qualifier with Slovakia, dropped a strong hint he had some knowledge of the former Peterborough, Birmingham and QPR man’s plans for his future.

“We talked a little bit about his future but it’s not fair for me to tell you David’s ideas,” Eriksson revealed.

“I talked to him on Saturday and told him we would stick with the goalkeepers we had against Liechtenstein and Turkey.

“He took it like a great man and professional and said, ‘Of course, I’m disappointed but it had to happen sooner or later’.

“The only reason is because I don’t know David’s situation for next season.

“I don’t know if Arsenal know what will happen. And I couldn’t ask Arsene Wenger about it when we met recently.

“Changing the goalkeeper again now and maybe again in August wouldn’t be good.”

Seaman’s career, for all its high points including 75 caps for his country, has been blighted by three high-profile errors.

The back-pedalling keeper was famously beaten by a long-range Nayim lob as Arsenal lost the 1995 Cup-Winners’ Cup final, was caught out by Ronaldinho’s arcing free-kick as England were dumped out of the World Cup by Brazil last summer and embarrassed by Artim Sakiri’s curling corner in the drawn Euro 2004 qualifier with Macedonia in October.

But Eriksson insisted true supporters would not remember Seaman for those mistakes.

“If you are a negative thinker, you would,” he said.

“But if you are an Arsenal or England fan, you will remember him for all the great saves he made.

“What’s he done for England? He has 75 caps and has saved Arsenal and England many times.

“He’s always been very important for both teams.

He’s had a great career, been very steady and you could always rely on him.

“Every time I met Arsenal with Benfica or Sampdoria, he was always there and always did very well.”

Eriksson, who recalled Leicester’s Ian Walker to a 25-man squad also featuring West Ham’s David James and Leeds’ Paul Robinson, declared Seaman would need to be a Highbury regular to return next term.

“I don’t know if it’s the end or not and this doesn’t mean I have closed the door on him for good,” the Swede added.

“If David is still playing in August, he might well be picked again.

“If he goes on playing and is playing well, he will be in competition with all the other English goalkeepers.

“But it’s obvious that if you are not playing regular football, it is very difficult to be in the squad.

“If I had been sure David would be a regular (next season), I might have done this a different way.

“But, as I am not sure, it wouldn’t have been good to give confidence to David James and then take it away, even for one game.

“We must look forward and we have good goalkeepers coming through. I hope Chris Kirkland will be fit as he is a big, big talent, just like Robinson.”