Wojciech Szczesny Fined £20K for Smoking in Shower After Loss vs. Southampton

Details behind Wojciech Szczesny's recent controversy have come to light after it was revealed the Arsenal goalkeeper was caught smoking in the showers following his team's New Year's Day defeat to Southampton.

The Gunners lost 2-0 at St. Mary's, and Szczesny was subsequently dropped for Arsenal's FA Cup win over Hull City on Sunday and fined £20,000. The Mirror's John Cross reports:

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He was caught lighting up following Arsenal's New Year's Day defeat at ­Southampton – to the fury of boss Arsene Wenger, who was already raging over the keeper's error-strewn horror show.

Szczesny was dropped for the next game, the FA Cup tie with Hull, although Wenger was always intending to give David Ospina a run in the competition. 

But it remains to be seen whether Wenger will further punish Szczesny by dropping him from the team for Sunday's clash with Stoke City.

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The Polish international had a dismal outing against the Saints and was at fault for both the goals conceded. He needlessly rushed out to face Sadio Mane before falling victim to a chip for the first, and then passed the ball to Dusan Tadic for the second.

Szczesny isn't the first Arsenal player to be caught up in a smoking controversy. Jack Wilshere and William Gallas have also been caught lighting up on several occasions over the years, much to manager Arsene Wenger's disdain.

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Former Gunner John Jensen was reported as saying on Danish television, per the Daily Mail's Sami, that Szczesny wouldn't play again this season due to a falling out with Wenger over the incident.

However, Cross mentioned that Arsenal refute such claims. Ospina was signed last summer to provide cover and competition for the No. 1 jersey, and now might be the Colombian's chance to make a real run at the top spot.

However, as Cross states, Gunners supporters will wait with bated breath to see if their usual stopper regains his spot between the posts for Sunday's Premier League visit to Stoke, which will indicate where the keeper currently stands.

Szczesny has been Arsenal's first choice in goal for so long that it's sometimes difficult to remember he's still only 24 years old and clearly still maturing.

Although largely due to a lack of depth in defenders amid Wenger's injury woes, Szczesny has managed to keep just three clean sheets this season, making 1.65 saves per game on average, per Squawka.

The severity of Szczesny's fine shows how seriously Wenger and Arsenal as a whole treat such matters of indiscipline.

Ed Aarons of the Guardian pointed out the slight irony of the situation, with footage of Wenger smoking a cigarette during a match during his Monaco tenure.

The stopper, like any other member of the Arsenal squad, will have assuredly been dismayed with his performance against Southampton, but that in itself isn't justification for breaching rules in this manner.

The responsibility of guarding Arsenal's lines may be catching up to Szczesny and applying a considerable amount of stress. But Wenger clearly feels he didn't deal with that burden correctly following their St. Mary's disappointment.