Szczesny ready to leave Arsenal if opportunities do not improve
Published:Arsene Wenger’s unwillingness to trust a young goalkeeper could lead to Wojciech Szczesny looking elsewhere for first-team football.
Arsenal spent most of the transfer window looking for a replacement for Manuel Almunia, but failed in their quests despite being linked with a host of goalkeepers including Mark Schwarzer, Maarten Stekelenburg and Federico Marchetti.
Szczesny is not even number two at Arsenal with Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, with Fabianski getting the nod for the Carling Cup win over Tottenham.
The 20-year-old, who impressed on loan at Brentford last season, has now declared that he wants away from Arsenal if his progress is going to be hampered by a lack of first-team action.
He told a Polish daily newspaper: “Despite our talks before the season, Arsene Wenger seems to forget he has a goalkeeper named Wojciech Szczesny in the team.
“Wenger told me to fight for a first-team place, but then he didn’t include me in the squad for the Carling Cup game.
“I’m ready to play at the highest level but I need a club that believes in a 20-year-old. In Arsenal there’s no such bravery. My main goal is to play for Arsenal, but if there’s a move option, we’ll have words.”
Wenger has stated in the past that Szczesny is a future number one at Arsenal and now may have to give him more game time if he wants to avoid losing him to another club.
Arsenal are 6/1 to win the Premier League and they have a home game next which many would argue presents an opportunity to hand some experience to some of the club’s future stars.
Arsenal are 1/5 to beat West Brom in the Premier League betting odds and it is a home fixture in which they have won in four of the last five attempts.
Szczesny was selected in goal for the last of these in a 2-0 win in the Carling Cup last season. See the full Arsenal vs West Brom Premier League match betting market.
