Wojciech Szczesny, 27, renewed his love affair with Serie A football after completing his £13.5m transfer from Arsenal to Juventus, according to the Evening Standard. The Polish international spent two successful seasons on loan at AS Roma having fallen from grace with the Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.
The perennial Italian champions see the Pole as a long-term to legendary goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon. Szczesny’s stock fell as his form plateaued at the Emirates but a spell in Rome saw his confidence brimming again. With just one year remaining on his contract at Arsenal, Juve stole in and moved quickly to secure his services at a much-reduced fee.
While he thrived in the Italian capital, Arsenal’s goalkeeping woes continued. Petr Cech provided some stability and belatedly brought some form to David Ospina, the Colombian international goalkeeper. In between times, the South American struggled for form horribly and saw a move to Fenerbahce fall through last summer.
Wenger, however, looks set to retain Ospina to allow Emi Martinez, 24, time to develop in the minor competitions while Matt Macey, 18, is another for whom the Arsenal manager has high hopes.
Szczesny endeared himself to Arsenal supporters with a heartfelt social media post. While his ability divided opinion, nobody doubted his love for the club.
I remember being a young boy in Poland, watching David Seaman, Thierry Henry, Dennis Berkamp and others play for Arsenal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get a chance to play for the club I supported as a little kid. When I was approached by Arsenal in 2005 my world changed forever. I began my journey as a 16 year old boy at the Arsenal’s academy, trying to one day become a first team player, going out for evening runs in East Barnet with Jack Wilshere. Little did we know then, that couple years later we’d beat Barcelona in the Champions League and wear the no.1 and no.10 shirts. It has been over 11 years since I became an Arsenal player and I never thought the day I leave this club would come. Everything that I am and everything that I have, I owe to Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Liam Brady, David Court, Bob Arber, Steve Bould, Neil Banfield, Mike Salmon, Tony Roberts, Gerry Peyton, Pat Rice and many others. Words can’t describe my gratitude to these people and love for this club. Today I move on, ready for the new challenge in my life, taking with me only the good memories and bag of expierience. I leave hopeful that those days of Berkamp,Henry, Seaman and others are soon to return to Emirates Stadium and Arsenal get back to winning the Premier League. I may not be an Arsenal player no more but I will carry the Arsenal name with me wherever I go and I will do so with great pride. Once a Gunner, always a Gunner! ❤
A post shared by Wojciech Szczesny (@wojciech.szczesny1) on Jul 19, 2017 at 7:02am PDT
