Arsène Wenger: Wojciech Szczesny has Arsenal future despite Roma loan

Wojciech Szczesny has a future at Arsenal despite his impending loan move to Roma, insists Arsène Wenger. The manager is prepared to allow the 25-year-old goalkeeper to leave on a temporary basis, having signed Petr Cech from Chelsea at the start of the summer.

Wenger confirmed a season-long loan move to Roma is edging closer for Szczesny, who hit the headlines for the wrong reasons last season when he was reportedly caught smoking in the showersfollowing defeat at Southampton. The Poland international was at fault for both goals in that 2-0 loss on New Year’s Day and soon lost his place to David Ospina, having had previous form for smoking.

Now he is set to leave the Emirates Stadium but Wenger wants to see him return and believes a player he has shown faith in for some time can still produce the goods for Arsenal. “He could go on loan to Roma. We are pretty much done – it is down to paperwork,” Wenger confirmed when asked about Szczesny’s future.

“As long as that is not over the line, anything can happen. Szczesny is a top-class goalkeeper. We have three goalkeepers who are top. For one of the keepers, if he can play somewhere that would be good.

“I believe he will have a future at Arsenal. I personally rate him highly – you do not take a boy and put him in the first team at the age of 20 [if you don’t]. He already has huge experience. I don’t want that experience at such a young age to be wasted.”

Wenger contemplated keeping Szczesny at the club for him to learn from Cech, who will start the campaign as No1 following his move across London. But he ultimately decided that the 25-year-old requires game-time and said the signing of Cech was not due to question marks over Szczesny or Ospina.

“That is a question that comes to your mind,” Wenger said when asked about retaining Szczesny. “How much can he grow with Petr Cech next to him, who is happy to share his huge experience, and how much mentally will he be able to live with the fact that he doesn’t play regularly. It is a position that, if you are number two or three, it is more difficult.

“I believe that there are two aspects in a decision. Does it give you a chance to make the squad better or is it against some of the performances of your players? In this case I was just questioning if it makes us stronger as a unit, and it has a chance to do that. It was not against Ospina or Szczesny.”