Former Gunner comes out of retirement to play for Barcelona | OneFootball

Former Gunner Wojciech Szczesny’s move to Barcelona has been confirmed, delaying his retirement for at least one more year.

Wojciech Szczesny after signing for Barcelona (Photo via FCBarcelona.com)

FC Barcelona have now officially confirmed that they’ve signed former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny on a one-year contract, with the player agreeing a deal until June 30th, 2025.

Szczesny had announced his retirement over the summer, but he’s clearly decided to reverse and delay that decision for at least another year.

A lot could happen between now and next June, so you wonder whether the Poland international will still want to retire after his Barcelona contract expires. One more year and he could potentially end his career with the World Cup in 2026.

Wojciech Szczesny after signing for Barcelona (Photo via FCBarcelona.com)

Arsenal were on the lookout for goalkeepers over the summer, and Szczesny has confirmed that he held talks with the club over a potential return.

But the 34-year-old ultimately decided the offer wasn’t for him, presumably because Mikel Arteta wanted him to play a backup role to first-choice goalkeeper David Raya.

“I was open to talks with Arsenal because of the respect and sentiment for the club,” Szczesny confirmed. “But when I started talking, I knew it wasn’t for me.

“The Arsenal option came up before the Juventus contract was terminated. I said: ‘OK, we can talk’. But two days later I said it didn’t make much sense.”

Arsenal’s Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny reacts. (Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images)

Winning the starting spot at Arsenal would have been a difficult task. Raya has already seen off competition from one of the league’s top goalkeepers in Aaron Ramsdale, and he likely would have kept his spot ahead of Szczesny too.

At Barcelona, things are very different, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffering a serious knee injury. The number-one spot is up for grabs, potentially offering Szczesny another season of regular matches for one of Europe’s top clubs.

Putting the sentiment of an Arsenal return aside, you can see why that was a more appealing option for a player in his mid-thirties.