Arsenal will have one less goalkeeper on their books this season, that’s because Wojciech Szczesny has agreed to re-join Roma on loan.
The 26-year-old will return to playing football in Italy for another year after enjoying a successful spell at the Serie A side during the 2015/16 campaign.
It’s a move that will benefit both Arsenal and Szczesny, with the shot-stopper looking to build on the 42 first team appearances he picked up under Luciano Spalletti.
The deal for the season-long loan was expected to go through a lot earlier on this summer, but talks were stalled as both clubs took time to agree on a new clause in the contract.
Roma now have the option to buy Szczesny at a reported €16m when the loan spell is complete, another sign that the Poland international could call time on his Gunners career.
That figure is an attractive sum for both sides, with Arsene Wenger taking advantage of making some money on his academy graduate, who first broke onto the scene in 2011.
This was never going to be a difficult choice for Szczesny though, as he’s famously stated life at Roma has taught him so much more than he’s picked up in the last five years at Arsenal.
When it comes to the fans, Szczesny was always more of a character off the pitch than on it, and a number of shaky performances soon sparked Wenger to bring in key additions.
Both Petr Cech and David Ospina rank higher in the pecking order when it comes to the man with the gloves, and it’s looking increasingly likely that Szczesny’s competition could be a long-term obstacle.
Former Chelsea star Cech is expected to have at least three years in him before retirement, whilst Ospina has proven capable of protecting the Arsenal goal at the highest level.
As well as that, Szczesny has become the forgotten man during Arsenal’s pre-season preparations, with no mention of his whereabouts from either the boss or the respective social media sites.
It’s believed he’s still enjoying some time off following a busy Euro’s, but one thing we can confirm is that we won’t see Szczesny in an Arsenal shirt for a long time.
The deal is expected to be announced within the next few days, with Roma ready to join the transfer merry-go-round that Serie A has become this summer.
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