Barcelona has officially signed Wojciech Szczesny for the remainder of the season to replace captain Marc-André ter Stegen, who is sidelined due to a knee injury. The club acted quickly to persuade the former Poland and Juventus goalkeeper to come out of retirement, and he is expected to be on the field soon.
In a press conference on Saturday, Barça coach Hansi Flick addressed Szczesny’s situation after he surprisingly omitted him from the squad set to face Alavés in the Basque Country on Sunday.
Iñaki Peña will start against Alavés and is likely to keep the number one spot for a few matches after the break. However, Szczesny is expected to be ready to play soon, as he will be training hard over the next two weeks.
“He is in very good form, with his experience and his quality, having Szczesny is good for the club. When I spoke to him, he seemed like a very affable person, he said he would contribute to the team in any way, unfortunately he needs more time to be with us. After the break he will be ready.”
Szczesny participated in two training sessions leading up to the match, and Flick mentioned that the goalkeeper will use the upcoming international break to regain full fitness for when Barça resumes play in two weeks.
