Wojciech Szczesny has confirmed that he has agreed to join Barcelona as emergency cover for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is set to miss up to eight months following knee surgery.
The injury, sustained in Thursday’s 5-1 win over Villarreal, left the club desperate for an experienced goalkeeper. While Inaki Pena started Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Getafe, Barcelona wasted little time in moving to bring in Szczesny as cover for their injured No. 1.
Szczesny, who announced his retirement earlier this summer, has already been in Marbella doing his medical and confessed he could not let the chance slip to don the Catalan giants.
“I have a lot of respect for Barca’s history; it is one of the best clubs in the world,” Szczesny told SPORT. “I understand the difficult situation after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury, and it would be disrespectful not to consider this option.”
In this regard, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick did hint at the possibility of signing an experienced goalkeeper as he said after the Getafe match, “Inaki is 25, but we need a goalkeeper with experience. Deco and I have discussed it, and we’re on it.”
The transfer of Szczesny is reportedly nearing its completion.
