Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczensy has chosen to remain in the Serie A as he prepares to move from AS Roma to Napoli
According to a report by Il Mattino, Napoli are confident enough to sign a deal with Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. The Pole spent the current season on-loan with Roma, but will now make a permanent move to Napoli.
The report further stated that Szczesny has agreed personal terms for a three-year contract with Napoli, and the Italian club will soon open talks with Arsenal regarding financial matters.
Szczesny became a firm fan favourite at AS Roma, but the club are not looking for a permanent deal since they are eyeing Brazilian Alisson as a replacement.
Szczesny joined Arsenal back in 2009 as a teenager from Legia Warsaw and was sent out on loan to Brentford. He failed to do much at Arsenal and was pushed further below the pecking order once David Ospina and Petr Cech joined the club.
That’s when he was loaned out to AS Roma wherein the keeper quickly became a favourite and cemented his position as the first-choice goalkeeper. Szczesny helped Roma to a second-place finish in Serie A this season, keeping 14 clean sheets in 38 appearances.
A return to the Gunners is out of the cards for Szczesny since they already have the services of Petr Cech and David Ospina, and fighting for a spot in the starting XI won’t be the best bet after his excellent season at Serie A.
Napoli will let their first-choice keeper Pepe Reina leave as Spanish giant Barcelona appears interested in signing him to replace Claudio Bravo. However, the Spaniard might also make a move back to England and join Newcastle United. The Italian club were previously favoured to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma but are now keen on Szczesny.
Joining Napoli instead of Arsenal will be the ideal situation for Szczesny as the 27-year-old has already established himself as one of the best keepers in the league. He won’t have to fight for playing time or play second fiddle to any other keeper.
Napoli are expected to contact Arsenal officials soon to work out a deal and discuss a fee.
