Wojciech Szczęsny: Former Arsenal goalkeeper comes out of retirement to sign for Barcelona

Former Arsenal and Brentford goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has come out of retirement to sign for Barcelona on a deal until the end of the 2024/25 season.

This is according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Fabrizio Romano, who wrote: “Wojciech Szczesny completed his medical as Barcelona player and he’s set to be in attendance tonight for UCL game vs Young Boys. Deal done until June 2025, all set as he’s new Barça goalkeeper.”

It is unclear where the 34-year-old will fit into Hansi Flick’s plans at this stage. It is likely that he has been brought in to provide depth, following an injury sustained by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - in their last game, the Catalonian giants were dealt a huge upset when they lost 4-2 to Osasuna in La Liga.

In order for Szczesny to come out of retirement, which he initially announced at the end of last season, Juventus (his last club before hanging up the boots) were able to rescind 2 million Euros of his 4 million Euro severance package [via AS]. As such, Barcelona are not the only ones benefitting from this deal.

To football fans in the UK, Szczesny is best known for his time at Arsenal. He played for the Gunners from 2009 to 2017, making 132 appearances along the way. During his time at the Emirates Stadium, he won two FA Cups, one Community Shield and was part of the squad that finished runners up in the 2010/11 League Cup. Additionally, he also won the Premier League Golden Glove in the 2013/14 season.

Despite this, he picked up his biggest accolades while he was at Juventus. Whilst playing for the Old Lady, Szczesny won three Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia trophies. In 2022/23, Szczesny was named in the Serie A team of the season. He also played for Roma.