Barcelona have secured the signing of Wojciech Szczesny as a free agent, according to a statement released by the La Liga club on Wednesday. This move comes after the Polish goalkeeper decided to reverse his retirement decision and join the team in response to the long-term injury suffered by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Ter Stegen, the German goalkeeper, underwent surgery following a rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee, an injury sustained over the weekend. He is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Inaki Pena, aged 25, is anticipated to step in as a temporary replacement for Ter Stegen. However, Barcelona has bolstered their squad by bringing in Szczesny, who had announced his retirement just last month after ending his contract with Serie A club Juventus. The 34-year-old former Poland international had one year remaining on his contract with Juventus, where he had succeeded the legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
During his tenure at Juventus, Szczesny achieved three league titles and three domestic cup victories in over 250 appearances. However, he lost his starting position to the recent acquisition, Michele Di Gregorio. Currently, Barcelona leads the La Liga standings with 21 points from eight games. Hansi Flick's team is set to face Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.
