I don't think Robles has it in him to become a really top class keeper. He can be a very good one, and in fairness I think he's nearly there now. He's still only 26 and in goalkeeping terms still learning the game. But a proper top class keeper can be worth 10 points every season and that would certainly help us get regular CL football. So that needs to be our aim.
Ideally we would sign that class of keeper straightaway but, realistically, who could we feasibly get that would be prepared to come here. Possibly only Jack Butland, and even then we need to see how he recovers from over a season out with serious injuries. I just don't see the point in splashing out serious money on a keeper who is only going to be a small step up at best on what we have now. There are other area's of the team that need serious repair work, and that's without the potential loss of Rom and Ross. Unless we are able to sign somebody of Butlands class, we should concentrate on improving the other positions where our need is greater.
As regards Robles, I think he's coming in for a lot of unfair criticism at the moment. Take yesterday's game for example. If Lukaku had scored that first goal we would have been lauding it as a fantastic, cool, clinical finish. But no, it goes down as a keeping error. The second goal I can understand the shouts for a keeping error. What I will say in Joel's defence, is that this season he has been vastly improved in coming and collecting crosses in his own area and has probably been as anyone in the league at this. For the second goal, he set himself for the cross and was therefore a bit flatfooted when Allbrighton, intentionally or not, went for goal. It was in the top corner anyway and hit with plenty of whip, so I'm still not sure he would have got there had he stayed in his line. It was very similar to Rooney's 250th Man Utd goal and I haven't heard one commentator criticise Stokes keeper for that goal. Would we have liked him to have done better for both goals?. You bet. Should they go down as obvious errors or clangers?. Not in my view. The other thing to acknowledge is that neither goal would have even got as far as Robles had the defenders done their job properly.
Same with the other recent mistakes being highlighted. He was absolutely clobbered after the derby but I could only put the last goal down as a definite error as he sold himself and made it easy for Origi. The first 2 goals again were really poor defending and good finishes that Robles didn't really have any chance of stopping. The Spurs game I would blame him for terrible decision making for their second goal when he rolled the ball out to Schneids. But again, Schneids was equally culpable in that goal but nobody's even mentioned his role in it since. But it's wheeled out at every opportunity in this thread.
In the premier there are 3 stand out keepers at United, Chelsea and Spurs, and possibly a 4th at Stoke if Butland get's his form back after injury. Joel is very much in that next group alongside the likes of Forster, Cech, Heaton & Schmeicel. Our aim should be to go for one of the elite keepers and I wouldn't complain if we brought one in even though I would prefer us to concentrate on other areas of need. But I would complain if we wasted good money on one of these other keepers who are, in my opinion, no great improvement on Robles.