Well paid Wojciech: Why Szczesny has earned his big-money deal

Wojciech Szczesny has agreed a new four-year deal with Arsenal that will see the Poland international become one of the highest-earning goalkeepers in the world, according to the Mirror.

After an unconvincing campaign between the sticks last season, the 23-year-old has enjoyed an excellent start to this term and appears to have fully won the confidence of boss Arsene Wenger going forward. But is he really worth the £100,000-per-week contract he’ll reportedly be on at the Emirates from now on?

Having split playing time between himself, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone last season, Szczesny has truly made the job his this time around despite extra competition from summer loan acquisition Emiliano Viviano. The Pole has started all of Arsenal’s 13 Premier League and Champions League encounters.

His exploits thus far see him ranked highly in each competition in terms of Performance Score, as he’s registered a tally of 254 in the English top flight and one of 100 in European action, good for fourth and third best respectively amongst goalkeepers.

EPL Goalkeepers – Performance Scores

The Poland international has been particularly strong coming off his line, making 37 successful claims in the Premier League whilst failing only twice, adding seven punches as well.

For Wenger, Szczesny’s improvement in commanding his penalty area has not gone unnoticed, he expressed this to Arsenal’s official website in early October following strong showings from his number one against Swansea and Napoli.

“He comes off the line much more to claim the ball,” the Gunners boss said.

“His movement to take the ball at the peak is much better and he has shown that, especially in the last two games against Swansea and Napoli, when it was needed to come off the line and take a cross.

“It sometimes has a psychological impact on an opposing team when a goalkeeper comes to claim a cross or is quick off his line.”

Szczesny made eight total claims in the 2-1 victory over the Swans on September 28, allowing the opposition to complete just one of 20 crosses and fully demonstrating the increased value of a goalkeeper able to take pressure off of defenders with the confidence to attack deliveries in the air.

Wojciech Szczesny stats

With regards to saves made, the 23-year-old has been top notch in coming up with 27 in 10 appearances in domestic play, trailing only three of his peers in this category, whilst he has conceded the fifth-fewest goals in the Premier League out of shot stoppers that have spent 900 minutes between the pipes to date.

Despite his productivity in the formative stages of this season, however, Szczesny hasn’t had an overwhelming amount of clean sheets in the Premier League with three. But given Arsenal’s status at the summit of the table and unbeaten run since opening day it is quite clear he has performed at the highest level in the most crucial of situations, such as in the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat of north London rivals Tottenham in the beginning of September, when the Pole made a trio of stops en route to Man of the Match honours.

Where Szczesny has disappointed somewhat is in distribution, having ensured his side possession when playing the ball just 43% of the time so far.

His goal kicks have been a distinct weakness and have located a teammate at a shocking 11% clip, whilst he’s made a number of mistakes using his hands in being only one of four Premier League goalkeepers to not have a 100% record on balls thrown out.

The 23-year-old raw talent has rarely been questions, his penchant for committing juvenile, calamitous errors, though, had become a major flaw. But it does appear that he entered the current campaign with more maturity than before and has himself indicated that he has reworked his approach to training after being dropped to the bench back in March.

Performing at his present level Szczesny is certainly worthy of a lucrative contract, as his achievements in goal have undoubtedly played a role in Arsenal’s brilliant run to the top of the Premier League standings through 10 games, but lavishing a total of £20 million over four years on a player after a relatively short stint in top form is a risk, especially considering the player’s mercurial nature in the past.

Arsenal’s move in offering such money is sure to be calculated and is an indication of Wenger’s enduring confidence in the Pole as his undisputed goalkeeper of choice, yet it remains to be seen if he can sustain his success and establish the consistency that will see him realise his full potential.

Should he be able to do so, the cash laid out by the Gunners hierarchy will be well spent, but at this point only time will tell if Szczesny indeed has permanently slipped the temperamental bonds of his developmental years. Arsenal will hope so, a 23-year-old goalkeeper on a reported £100,0000-per-week deal would prove impossible to offload.