Former Poland and Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is expected to sign with Barcelona this week, and will be present for their first Champions League fixture at Montjuic this season. The 34-year-old arrived in the Catalan capital on Monday morning, and is believed to have already passed a medical.
Szczesny will not be part of the Barcelona v Young Boys Line-Up on Tuesday night, but will be in the stands by all accounts. Following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury, which has likely ruled him out for at least eight months, the Blaugrana have decided to give Inaki Pena competition in goal for the rest of the season. An agreement with Szczesny was confirmed to Football España last week, and MD believe that his signing will be confirmed by Barcelona on Wednesday.
Hansi Flick wanted Álex Valle to be part of the squad, but the player wanted prominence this season, and Flick couldn't promise this. @scapde_45
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 1, 2024
The same outlet also spoke to his former goalkeeping coach Jacek Rutkowski, who explained that Szczesny would likely need three to four weeks to get up to speed. That is particularly interesting, given their next home clash after the international break is Sevilla at home, followed by clashes against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, the latter being almost exactly four weeks away.
The big question in the Catalan capital has been whether Barcelona will hand the starting role to Szczesny, or stick behind Pena. While the Polish goalkeeper has accepted that he must compete for his spot with the 25-year-old, there had been reports that Pena had been told he would retain the starting spot. It was telling that manager Hansi Flick said on Wednesday that no player could be guaranteed their position in the side.
