FC Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Wojciech Szczesny, who arrives as a more experienced alternative for the injured Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. The German goalkeeper tore his patellar tendon in the match against Villarreal and is expected to remain out of action for almost the entirety of this season.
With a one-year contract, Szczesny will remain at Barcelona till Ter Stegen makes his return to the pitch. There is no doubt that having a goalkeeper of his quality and experience will help Flick considerably this season, but the Pole’s arrival also brings a new headache for the German tactician.
For now, the Polish keeper will have to get back to match fitness before being able to play for his new side, as he has not played professionally since the UEFA EURO 2024. But once he is fully ready, Flick will have to make a decision on his starting eleven and choose between Inaki Pena and Szczesny to be his starting goalkeeper.
Reports coming from the Spanish media have created more uncertainty about who the starting goalkeeper will be. In one of his pressers, Flcik made it clear that Pena can be the starting goalkeeper for the rest of this season, and Szczesny has not been guaranteed a starting spot.
However, the media also reported an alleged phone call between Szczesny and Lewandowski, in which the former told the striker that he would join Barcelona only if he became the starting goalkeeper for Flick.
In such circumstances, Mundo Deportivo reports that Flick has already arrived at the formula he will use to pick between these goalkeepers. With this strategy, one of these shot-stoppers will play in league games, while the other will play in the Champions League, Copa del Rey, and Super Cup matches.
However, Flick will still have the final say on which goalie starts each game and will keep in mind their respective conditions before making a decision in this regard.