After Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen went down with a serious knee injury, the Catalan side wasted no time in calling former Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, agreeing terms just three days later. The big question is now whether Barcelona manager Hansi Flick will make him number one.
Szczesny has commented already that he is not coming in to take Inake Pena’s job from him, but to add to the squad, although he will obviously be competing for the number one spot. Meanwhile many reports say that Szczesny is seen as a number one option, but Pena might be given Barcelona’s tricky run against Sevilla, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, considering it too soon to throw him in.
However Szczesny has made it clear to Flick that he is good to go now.
“I have prepared these two weeks to be ready. If I play or not, it is a decision of the coach that I have to respect. But I train to play the game, and mentally I am already prepared,” he told 3cat.
Iñigo Martínez: "I'm in one of the best moments of my career. I feel the confidence of Hansi Flick and my teammates." Via @diarioas
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 17, 2024
The Polish veteran did admit that the initial return to professional football was not easy though.
“The first ones were tough from a physical point of view, and even more so the goalkeepers, who work alone and it’s not very fun. But this week, when I joined the group, it has already been very fun and stimulating, because you play games and make jokes with your teammates.”
Szczesny has been back in training for just over two weeks now, and it is unlikely that he would say he is not ready. However Flick and goalkeeping coach Jose Ramon de la Fuente will obviously have to make an assessment, on whether it is too soon. If Szczesny comes in of course, it will no doubt hit Pena’s confidence, so it seems unlikely Flick would switch between the two.
