Arsenal could bring back a familiar face this summer in an effort to fix two potential problems
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
A familiar face could be heading back to Arsenal this summer as the club look to solve two issues with a signal signing.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is expected to depart the club this summer as the England international looks for more first-team opportunities after David Raya established himself as the Gunners’ number-one choice between the sticks.
A replacement will therefore be needed and according to the Evening Standard, the club may look to bring Wojciech Szczesny back to the Emirates.
Wojciech Szczesny during his Arsenal days
The Polish goalkeeper turned out 181 times for Arsenal after coming through the club’s academy, winning the FA Cup in 2014 and 2015, before a two-season loan spell at Roma and an eventual permanent exit to Juventus in 2017.
The 34-year-old enjoyed instant success in Turin, winning three Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia titles and has turned out 33 times in the league this season, but the club are ready to move and are looking to sign Monza’s Michele Di Gregorio this summer.
While Szczesny’s £100,000-a-week wage could present an issue for Arsenal, who would also have convinced the former Gunner that he would return in a back-up role, the move would have another tangible benefit for Arsenal.
Aaron Ramsdale could leave Arsenal this summer
Although he was Polish-born and has played 81 times for the country of his birth, Szczesny would count as a homegrown player due to his time coming up through the youth ranks at Arsenal. This would help the club comply with Premier League squad rules.
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Arsenal could see several homegrown players depart this season, with the likes of Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson all linked with moves away.
Brighton stopper Jason Steele is another homegrown goalkeeper who has been linked with the Gunners, but has two years left on his current deal, with Ajax’s Diant Ramaj another player that has been scouted.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
