Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger today gave his support to out-of-contract David Seaman and pledged to extend the England goalkeeper's Highbury career towards his 40th birthday.
Seaman was distraught 12 days ago when he was caught out by Ronaldinho's free-kick for the goal which sent England home from the World Cup.
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson emphasised Seaman will remain his number one choice if he is a regular at Arsenal - and now Wenger is poised to offer him a new deal within the next 72 hours.
Wenger, speaking while on holiday in southern France, said: "I can understand why Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to keep David on - as it's the same reason I want him to stay at Arsenal.
"That reason is because he is the best goalkeeper in England. It's as simple as that. We will talk about things in the next few days and I hope he decides to stay on."
PA