Barcelona have agreed to a deal with Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny as their new goalkeeper. The emergency deal was necessitated by the Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury which may have likely ended the German’s season. Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano broke the news of the deal earlier today, confirming an end to Barca’s search for a suitable temporary replacement for ter Stegen. Szczesny was Juventus goalkeeper until recently when he announced his retirement.
However, Szczesny agreed to come out of his retirement to cover Barca’s deficit in the goalkeeping department. While he has not completed his medical, he is expected to sign a one-year contract upon a successful medical. Barca had several options to choose from following ter Stegen’s injury including former Liverpool and Newcastle goalkeeper Loris Karius. Other options were former Real Madrid and PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas and former Barca goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
The choice to settle for Szczesny makes sense for Barca’s immediate needs as he’s a goalkeeper of undeniable ability who has proven himself at the highest level in the Premier League and Serie A.
Nonetheless ter Stegen’s injury is still a big setback for the Blaugrana. The German No. 1 had began to gradually find his rhythm under Hansi Flick’s leadership after recently succeeding Manuel Neuer in the national team following the Bayern Munich goalkeeper’s international retirement. Ter Stegen may be out for at least nine months.
