Former Arsenal and Juventus Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny Will Come Out of Retirement to Sign for Barcelona

Barcelona are in deep trouble. The Catalan giants are facing an injury crisis, which has depleted them to less than 16 fit senior players. However, to make matters even worse, starting goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is out for the season after suffering a patella tendon rapture during Barcelona’s 5-1 victory against Villareal.

With Ter Stegen out injured for the season, Hansi Flick will have to depend upon Inaki Pena. Besides the 25-year-old shot-stopper, the only other keepers in the squad are Ander Astralaga (20) and Diego Kochen (18). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Blaugrana were in the market for a shot-stopper. And it looks like they have landed on former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny. The 34-year-old goalkeeper had announced his retirement from football last month after terminating his contract with Juventus. However, Szczesny has come out of retirement to join Barcelona in their time of need.  

On Wednesday, the Polish shot-stopper gave an interview to Sport in which he said, “Yes, I’m now in talks and considering Barça move. It’d be disrespectful if I didn’t consider this option for my career. Barça is one of the best clubs in the world.” Just a couple of hours later, reliable Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano gave the deal his famous “Here We Go” stamp. Romano also wrote, “Deal in place for Polish goalkeeper to join as free agent. Szczesny will come out of retirement to sign for Barça and replace ter Stegen on one year contract. Medical tests will take place in Spain in the next days.” 

Having said that, Szczesny still has some contractual issues to settle with Juventus, including a €2 million payment he owes the club as part of the agreement reached when his contract was terminated. If the transfer goes through, Szczesny is expected to pay the fee and finalize his move in the coming week. Once signed, he will be vying for the number one spot with Inaki Pena. Szczesny’s arrival will please Hansi Flick, as he stated that other than Pena, Barca lack an experienced goalkeeper. Now, with Inaki Pena and Szczesny vying for a starting spot, Barcelona look much stronger in the goalkeeping department. Furthermore, the Polish shot-stopper is an experienced goalkeeper, having represented clubs like Arsenal, AS Roma and Juventus during his career. Szczesny can be a valuable short-term fix to Barcelona’s injury crisis. 

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