FC Barcelona were in a catch-22 situation last season when regular captain and number one shot-stopper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen suffered a potential season-ending injury, leaving Inaki Pena as the only option in the squad that had experienced first-team minutes before.
The Spaniard had found himself in a similar situation a season ago when the German suffered an injury and struggled to fill the captain’s boots. Thus, Barcelona were scrambling in the market for an emergency signing and settled on then recently retired Wojciech Szczesny.
The Pole had called it a day after his stint at Juventus but chose to return when Barcelona came calling. He had to wait until January to make his debut with Pena impressing for much of 2024, but Szczesny made the position his own in 2025.
Barcelona want Szczesny to stay
Barcelona have made no attempt to hide the fact that they would like Szczesny to stay, despite signing him on a short-term deal, and that plan doesn’t seem to have changed, despite the club securing talented Spaniard Joan Garcia from Espanyol.
Now, as per MARCA, despite Deco confirming that a renewal with Szczesny had all but been agreed, there has been complete silence from the club on this front despite the fact that the 35-year-old is set to be a free agent in a matter of hours.
As of today, June 30, 2025, many players’ contracts, including Szczesny’s, are set to expire. From tomorrow, he will be a free agent unless an agreement is reached and announced. The club’s silence on this matter is surprising, given their apparent intent to keep him.
Too many cooks spoil the goalkeeping harmony
The idea behind the delay could be sorting out the future of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. As things stand, Barcelona have four first-team goalkeepers – the German, Joan Garcia, Szczesny, and Inaki Pena and that is not sustainable.
Ter Stegen has a contract at Barcelona until 2028, but is seemingly the one Barcelona want to move on this summer. Thus, the club could look to sort out the exit for the club captain, if he is willing, before announcing the Pole’s renewal.
Going into the new season with Szczesny and Joan Garcia as the first two goalkeepers in the pecking order, not respectively, would be an excellent decision by Hansi Flick. The elephant in the room is the future of Ter Stegen, and the next few weeks could give a clearer idea of how it plays out.
