Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has joined Barcelona as a free agent one month after calling time on his career.
The former Juventus goalkeeper announced he has hung his boots after being frozen out of the Juventus squad under new manager Thiago Motta.
Motta, who replaced Massimiliano Allegri in the Juventus’ dugout, bundled out Zczcesny and other players in the squad in his attempt to overhaul the squad.
Before his retirement, Szczesny had a year left on his Juventus contract but had terminated it after falling out of favour in Motta’s new Juventus setup.
His decision to retire came following lack of offers from other clubs. However, he has now made a swift move to return to the field following interest by Barcelona.
Barcelona announce signing of Wojciech Szczesny
A month after calling time on his career, Barcelona were forced to make a move for Zczcesny following an injury to their first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The Catalans lost ter Stegen to a serious knee injury in their 5-1 win against Villarreal and needed to shop for replacement amidst their push for the La Liga title.
La Liga regulations permit clubs to sign free agents outside of the transfer window to replace players with injury lay-offs longer than four months. The club navigated this transfer waiver to sign the experienced shot-stopper.
The club’s statement confirming the signing of the 34-year-old reads;
“FC Barcelona and Wojciech Szczesny have reached an agreement for the goalkeeper to join the Club until 30 June 2025.”
Szczesny reacts to his Barcelona Move
Reacting to the move, Szczesny said it would be disrespectful for him to turn down Barcelona’s offer despite his retirement. He described the club as the best in the world.
“I have a lot of respect for Barcelona’s history,” he said. “It would be disrespectful to not consider the option [of signing]. They are one of the best in the world.”
Szczesny made 181 appearances for Arsenal after joining as a 16-year-old and also spent time at Brentford, Roma and Juventus.
He joined Juventus in 2017 and made 252 appearances across seven years in Turin, winning three Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia.
The Warsaw-born player won 84 caps for Poland, playing at four European Championships and two World Cups.
Wojciech Szczesny chances at Barcelona
Szczesny is expected to fill the gap left by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. However, it is not likely to be an easy ride for the former Serie A goalkeeper.
Speaking on the chances of the former Roma goalie, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said he has no priority goalkeeper, adding Zczcesny must fight for his place in the team.
“Zczcesny is a great goalkeeper with experience. We hope he will bring his wealth of experience to bear but we don’t have a priority option for now. Slots are to be earned not given”, he said.
Barcelona still has Pena as a goalkeeping option aside from Wojciech Szczesny. So, the two shot-stoppers are expected to fight for a starting role in the squad following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury.
The club saw their unbeaten start to the campaign come to an end following a 4-2 defeat to Osasuna. However, they bounced back with a 5-0 thrashing of Young Boys in mid-week 2024-25 Champions League matchday two clash.
Their next game is an away fixture against Alaves where Wojciech Szczesny could likely make his debut for the club.
Wojciech Szczesny’s Barcelona contract and salary
Zczcesny has signed a one-year contract with Barcelona till the end of the season as confirmed by the club. However, details of his wages offer have yet to be disclosed.
