Szczesny's renewal: Is Barça right to give continuity to the Pole?

Joan Laporta made clear FC Barcelona's desire to have Wojciech Szczesny in their squad for next season. The 35-year-old goalkeeper only signed until June 30 and the club prioritizes extending his contract for one more year. Hansi Flick and the squad are delighted with his performance and the fans also consider him an icon of the winning squad of the national treble this year.

"We want him to continue. The other day he was celebrating the victory by smoking a cigar. I saw him wanting to stay. We also have good goalkeepers in the youth team and in grassroots football", explained the Barça president to 'La Vanguardia' when referring to the situation of 'Tek'. The experienced goalkeeper has earned the affection of the dressing room and the fans, as well as performing at a very good level this 2025.

In total, Szczesny has played 30 games as a starter in 24/25, with 36 goals conceded (1.2 per game) and 14 clean sheets (8 in La Liga). After winning the individual duel against Iñaki Peña for the starting position in January, the '25' became a real amulet for the team, with an unbeaten run of 22 matches and only 3 defeats in 30 appearances.

Szczesny will define his future with Barça in June

The Pole, however, has been cautious when referring to his options of staying in Barcelona, at least, one more season. 'Tek' values the club's confidence, but he is clear about his mission to stay in the team only if he is really in a position to perform at his best as Ter Stegen's substitute. Szczesny was retired for four months in 2024, but showed plenty of conditions to compete in the elite this year.

"If I extend the contract it will be because I am convinced that I am a guarantee of quality on the bench next season. So I have to decide because this is also a new situation for me. I have to assess whether I am able to accept it mentally, to support Marc and help him throughout the season", he argued after the match against Espanyol.

Szczesny, during the Benfica-Barça (0-1)

In that sense, it is clear that Barça is right to trust in 'Tek', even more so when the player himself puts the club's interests ahead of taking advantage of the possibility of continuing in the squad for one more season. Ter Stegen will be the starter from day 1 of 25/26, but Szczesny must be ready for any eventuality.

The alternatives to Szczesny available at Barça

As alternatives for the goal, the club has in the youth team Ander Astralaga (21 years old), Áron Yaakobishvili (19) and Diego Kochen (19). Of the three, the only one with real options to leave this summer is Astralaga, as his contract expires in 2026 and, for the moment, there are no news regarding his renewal.

The other two goalkeepers have a link with Barcelona until 2028. Kochen and Astralaga alternated call-ups with the first team this season in La Liga and Champions League, the former with more appearances in the second half of the season. With the youth team, Ander has conceded 22 goals in 17 games, while Diego conceded 26 goals in the 16 games he played.

In the case of Iñaki Peña, the Alicante native also has one more season of contract, but has no intention of continuing as the Barça goalkeeper. Beyond whether Szczesny renews or not, the Spanish goalkeeper seems determined to change of scenery this summer, either with another team in LaLiga or in Turkey, where he already played six months on loan in 2022.

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