Wojciech Szczesny opens up on his competition with Inaki Pena for a starting spot at Barcelona | OneFootball

Wojciech Szczesny completed his move to FC Barcelona yesterday as the Catalan club officially announced his arrival. The Polish goalkeeper has been incorporated by the Blaugranes to replace Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, as the German tore his patellar tendon and is expected to remain out of action for the rest of the season.

Szczesny’s arrival will undoubtedly strengthen Flick’s team as he is a goalkeeper with vast experience playing at the highest level in Europe. However, his incorporation will no entirely be to the advantage of players like Inaki Pena, who would have been looking to be the starter in Ter Stegen’s absence.

As SPORT has reported, the former Juventus goalkeeper appeared in an interview after completing his signing for FC Barcelona, and talked about the issue of being the starting goalkeeper at the club:

“I have no guarantee that I will be the number 1 goalkeeper. I’m not the number 1 today. And I won’t be the number 1 next week either because I still need some time.”

“In football, there are no guarantees of playing in the first team. First, you have to fight for the starting spot, and then you have to keep it. I haven’t had any conversation with Hansi Flick about my role in the team. Barça just clearly told me they needed my help, and I believe I can help them. That’s where it ends.”

The veteran Pole went on to clarify that the starting spot should be handed out completely on merit, and he will not be upset if Pena remains as the starter:

“Barça asked me to help them, and I will, but the coach will decide whether my experience will be on or off the field. It could also be that I lose the competition for the starting goalkeeper spot. I’ll say more: if I lose and Inaki Pena plays brilliantly, I won’t even be sad.”

Szczesny retired from professional football after the UEFA EURO 2024 and has been out of action for the last few months. During this interview, he also talked about how he is getting ready to once again play at the highest level:

“Physically, I don’t look bad, but I will need time to get back into the rhythm of the locker room and to get my eyes accustomed to the speed of the ball. This is usually the biggest issue after a break in football.”

“I had a training session with the Juventus goalkeeping coach, who first came to see me for a week in Warsaw and then for two weeks in Marbella. So I could say that I went through a preparation period of three weeks. It’s true that in September I didn’t train with the ball.”

Although he has already joined Flick’s team, it is clear that Szczesny is not yet ready to play for Barcelona. He might need some time to get back to his best and hopefully will be able to play after the October international break.