Wojciech Szczesny: Does Goalkeeper Have a Future at Arsenal Under Arsene Wenger?

On Sunday, Arsenal travel to face Brighton and Hove Albion in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The fixture will present manager Arsene Wenger with an opportunity to rotate his squad. That could mean a reprieve for Wojciech Szczesny; the man with No. 1 on his shirt finds himself recast as the Gunners’ cup keeper.

Wenger has historically used the domestic cups to afford game time to his reserve shot-stoppers. Last year, Lukasz Fabianski seized the opportunity to earn himself a Bosman move to Swansea City. Now, his friend and countryman must take his chance to prove to Wenger he still has a future at Arsenal.

Some speculation has suggested he could be on his way in the summer. Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail reports that Wenger already has one eye on the market for possible replacements:

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Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's position has been cast into further doubt after it emerged the club are monitoring Fiorentina goalkeeper Norberto Neto.

Sportsmail revealed earlier this month that the Gunners will make a new No. 1 a summer priority.

And club scouts have made checks on Brazil keeper Neto—who is also a target for Liverpool and Juventus—ahead of a potential summer move.

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It has certainly been a difficult few weeks for the Polish international. After an error-strewn display at Southampton was compounded by news of smoking in the showers, Szczesny was unceremoniously dropped from the side. The first game he missed was the cup tie with Hull City, which in itself was no great shock. The real blow for Szczesny came when he was left out of the subsequent Premier League games with Stoke City and Manchester City.

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In his absence, David Ospina has performed well. He hasn’t been hugely tested, but that’s not a reasonable excuse. Perhaps his calm presence and organisational abilities prevent chances from being given away. Just as the best centre-backs don’t have to make eye-catching performances to produce a good display, a top goalkeeper is capable of making the job look very easy.

Ospina has racked up three consecutive clean sheets, encompassing the landmark result at the Etihad. Szczesny will now know that even a spectacular performance against Brighton will make it difficult to displace the Colombian. 

One thing is certain: He will give it everything he’s got. Szczesny is a proud and competitive character, and losing his first-team place will have hurt him. This isn’t the first time in his Arsenal career he’s been dropped, and on each occasion, he’s fought back refocused and better than before.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rather than casting Szczesny aside, it’s most likely that the Arsenal manager is simply serving him a reminder of the stiff competition for his place. Wenger is seemingly seeking to introduce a meritocratic selection policy. On that basis, any high-profile error from Ospina could allow Szczesny to reassume his position. This fight is far from over.

In public, at least, Wenger has been supportive of Szczesny, and he still describes him as the club’s “No. 1.” Having invested the best part of a decade in his development, it would be strange for Wenger to suddenly jettison a player whose talent remains beyond question.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.