Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny has landed in Rome this morning ahead of another season long loan to SERIE A side Roma. The Polish international has been linked all summer with a move away and it has now been confirmed by Roma’s official website.
Szczesny of course spent last season out on loan at Roma and had an impressive spell in Italy, where he in fact did suggest that he’d be more than happy to return to if he was no longer wanted at Arsenal. Although it seems that he may be out of favour in North London at the moment, hence the loan move, to state that Szczesny is unwanted altogether may be an overstatement considering Arsenal have opted not to include an option to buy in the contract.
“I’m very happy,” Szczesny said on Roma TV. “After a good season last year I had possibility of coming back and I was very happy that the coach wanted me. I’m delighted to be back and I hope that we can improve on what we did last season.”
It was previously reported that a £13.4 million clause had been entered into the agreement, however the latest developments suggest that Arsenal have instead chosen to refuse an option to buy at the end of the contract between both parties, with Arsenal keen to see how he continues to develop with experience. The current agreement supposedly stands at a £840,000 loan fee for the season, whilst Roma will also pay for the entirety of Szczesny’s wages.
I think it’s a good move for all parties involved because although I personally prefer Szczesny over Ospina, I don’t have any problems with Szczesny continuing to get experience on loan elsewhere before returning to the Gunners with some fight for a first team spot. Arsene Wenger must clearly think that Szczesny still has an Arsenal future, despite their previous encounters, otherwise Le Prof would just look to sell the former number one goalie straight up. Hopefully Szczesny has another good season in Italy where he can attain plenty more experience and come back a much stronger and better player.