Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has spent the past couple of seasons proving himself as one of Serie A’s top stoppers with Roma, and now admits leaving the Gunners was the best thing that could have happened.

Szczesny made the bold move to walk away from the Emirates, albeit on a loan basis, after slipping down the pecking order following the club’s signing of Petr Cech from rivals Chelsea.

The Poland international realised at the time his situation was looking bleak following a spate of poor form, and now admits leaving north London in search of regular football was the ‘probably the best thing that could have happened.’

‘I could have stayed in an environment that was going negatively for me. Instead the opportunity that came gave me a fresh start. You get a new perspective. You get new coaches and influences. You learn new drills. You do new things. Now I am very happy that it happened, even if the first impression was that I might be out of Arsenal, which was very painful. Now I think it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,’ Szczesny said in a recent interview with The Guardian.
The 27-year-old was aware his career was swinging back and forth at Arsenal, with strong performances often mixed with poor or indifferent showings.

Taking this into account, Szczesny admits his fear of not taking his career to greater heights, and at worst continuing to stay still in terms of development and progression.
‘The one thing I want to do is make sure I don’t stay still… I was quite still for five years – sometimes I played better, sometimes worse, sometimes phenomenal, sometimes rubbish. You take steps forwards and backwards. It is not very good for your head if you go up and down and up and down. I want to try to keep going up, with my quality and with my decisions that I make,’ said Szczesny.

‘I am 27, the best I have ever been, I still have room to improve and I want to make sure that room doesn’t stay empty. I want to go into that room. It feels like a big moment,’ he added.

The Pole has risen in stature at Roma and has played a pivotal part in their Serie A campaign this season.

Szczesny was also a key figure during the recent huge win over Italian giants Juventus, patrolling his area dominantly as Roma romped to an emphatic and statement-making 3-1 victory.

The upcoming end of the season could well mark the end of Szczesny’s extended stay in the Italian capital, but the 27-year-old readily acknowledges that he owes the club a lot for how they have enabled him to develop.

‘The biggest thing I have taken away from these two years at Roma is the fact I grew as a goalkeeper. It’s just raising your levels, your standards. I absorbed a bigger knowledge of football, the tactical side of the game.

‘You don’t see me with that rush of blood that I used to have as a younger keeper. It’s not that I don’t feel that rush of blood but tactically you are more aware of when to be involved, when to let the defenders recover,’ Szczesny added.