Yet another drawn-out transfer saga for Arsenal fans to contend with?

Barcelona’s public tapping up of Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas (and before him, Thierry Henry) had grown so tiresome by the end of last summer that it was almost a relief to see him finally leave London in a £35m transfer deal before the window slammed shut. The trouble is that when Barca want a player, they’re not too proud to play dirty and use every medium possible in an attempt to make a move happen. In particular, they seem to have mastered the media and aren’t afraid to use it.

But Cesc Fabregas has gone now, so Arsenal no longer have to worry about approaches from Barcelona, right?

Well, perhaps not. CaughtOffside claim that Barcelona are interested in acquiring Arsenal’s no. 1, Wojciech Szczesny.

The last few seasons have been characterised by Arsenal’s inability to find a capable goalkeeper. They’ve gone through Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone and none have been up to snuff. Szczesny’s emergence last season, then, came as a huge relief for Arsenal fans. There’s just no way that the Gunner’s would be willing to let him go without a fight.

At just 20-years-old, he’s not just an excellent goalkeeper, but a goalkeeper with the potential to go on to be an Arsenal great. He’s got a commanding presence way beyond his years, a great attitude and can be considered one of the best shot stoppers in the League.

Pep Guardiola is likely looking for a back-up keeper and long-term replacement for Victor Valdes, as his current second string goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto is 35-years-old and doesn’t have the best reputation.

I have to say, I don’t know how much truth there is to these rumours. Guardiola’s not stupid and will know that he wont be able to pick up Szczesny (who is on a long-term contract with Arsenal) for a price worthy of a second-string keeper. It would cost a fortune to pry Chesney from Arsenal’s hands and in all honesty it would be a waste of Barca’s time to pursue this transfer too seriously.

After all, from what I can tell Szczesny doesn’t have any ‘Barca DNA’, so Pep’s side wont have anything to hang their media campaign around. He also loves Arsenal and wont want to move clubs any time soon.

What’s your take? Do Arsenal need to be wary of Barca when it comes to Szczesny?  

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