by Lewis Ambrose

Arsenal have confirmed that goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has joined AS Roma on loan for the 2015/16 season.

The Polish goalkeeper was not likely to feature for the Gunners following the signing of Petr Čech and has been allowed to leave for Serie A, where he will spend one year with the Italian giants.

Szczesny, 25, has played 181 Arsenal appearances, including 29 last season, and will battle with Morgan De Sanctis for playing time in Rome. The veteran goalkeeper was number one for Roma last season but with Szczesny arriving is unlikely to keep his place.

Last season Roma finished second in Serie A and qualified for the Champions League, so Szczesny is joining up with a very competitive side. Hopefully he proves his worth and returns to Arsenal to compete with Petr Čech a year from now. Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger has said he has faith in the goalkeeper to have a future at Arsenal so this is his opportunity to prove his worth and develop further by getting minutes on the pitch.

David Ospina is set to remain at Arsenal as Čech’s backup and the club also has highly-rated Emiliano Martinez available. One of those goalkeepers may leave before the window closes but it seems a smart decision to loan Szczesny out at this point.

We wish Wojciech all the best and hope to see him back in goal at Emirates Stadium in the future!*

*Maybe not for Roma, though. We could face them in the Champions League and he would be eligible to feature.