Vito Mannone Biography

Name :
Vito Mannone

Born :
March 02, 1988

Birth place :
Desio, Italy

Height :
1.87m

Weight :
80 kg

Position :
Goalkeeper

Squad Number :
24

Previous Club(s) :
Hull City (loan)
Barnsley (loan)
Atalanta

Joined Arsenal :
July 01, 2005

2005/06
Vito signed for the Club in July 2005 and admitted he was amazed to first hear of interest from Arsenal. "I couldn't believe it when my agent told me. It was a bit of a shock because I was playing for such a young team, but it felt so right. It was always my father's dream that I would become a professional footballer at a club like Arsenal."

The Italian was in the first-team squad for the friendly against Barnet and went on the Club’s pre-season tour to Austria: "It was great for me. Coming from a young team and going with the first team squad, it was very exciting and I felt I learnt a lot from it. I was excited the first time I trained with the first team. To be facing players like Thierry Henry, Jose Antonio Reyes and Dennis Bergkamp was very special and to play well against them gave me a lot of confidence, because they are big players."

Vito went on to play for the Under-18s, featured in the FA Youth Cup and also played for the Reserves during the season.

2006/07
In August 2006 the teenager was sent on a three-month loan to Barnsley, though that got cut short when he returned to the Club in October for treatment on a knee injury.

Vito said he learned from the experience both as a player and a person. "The football is very different from what we have in the Premiership, A goalkeeper has to be mentally very strong as the game is played more direct. The aim of most teams is to send the ball straight up the pitch to the strikers. A goalkeeper has to be prepared for very physical challenges.”

He enjoyed a run of Reserve team appearances after returning to the Gunners, with strong performances leading to the stopper being named in the squad for two Carling Cup fixtures, although he didn't feature in the games.

2007/08
Vito signed a new contract with the Club in December and went on to make great strides throughout the campaign. He made a number of impressive performances between the sticks for the Reserves and earned a place on the bench for the Premier League fixture with Reading in June.

The now 20-year revealed that the strong bonds between him and the rest of the goalkeeping fraternity at Arsenal ensured that he was sufficiently prepared for when he would eventually make his first senior appearance.

"We talk a lot. Manuel Almunia is a good friend of mine and I have always had a strong relationship with Jens [Lehmann]. I have learned plenty from them since I arrived here at Arsenal and training with them is an excellent experience for me."

2008/09
This would be the season that saw Vito's patience rewarded and he would eventually make his first team debut, though he has to wait until the very last game of the season to get his chance.

Following the departure of Jens Lehmann in the summer of 2008, Vito became the Club's third-choice goalkeeper, behind Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski. He played an active role in pre-season and made a total of four appearances during the summer, coming on as a half-time substitute each time.

Despite that Vito had to wait until May to make his competitive debut. Injuries to Fabianski and Almunia meant he finally, at the age of 21, played the full 90 minutes of the 4-1 win over Stoke at Emirates Stadium.

2009/10
At the start of the 2009/10 season Vito Mannone may not have expected to get the eight first-team starts he received.

But injuries to Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski in the autumn meant the young Italian keeper was thrown under the spotlight.

His first chance came at Standard Liege in September and three days later he kept a clean sheet at home to Wigan. Vito’s finest hour followed at Fulham where his sterling performance won the game for Arsenal.

His eight-game run in the side ended with the visit to West Ham. A 2-2 draw at Upton Park ensured that, after nine games between the sticks for Arsenal, Vito has still not suffered a defeat.

The keeper signed a new long-term contract with the Club in January and he continued to represent Italy at Under-21 level throughout the season.