Wojciech Szczesny said his move to Roma was “a no-brainer” and “can’t wait to experience” the Stadio Olimpico fans.
The goalkeeper completed his loan move from Arsenal today and spoke to the club’s official TV station and website.
“I couldn’t wait to get here and now I’m here. It’s great to meet everyone around the club. Now I can’t wait to get started with some hard work,” he told Roma TV.
Wojciech Szczesny said his move to Roma was “a no-brainer” and “can’t wait to experience” the Stadio Olimpico fans.
The goalkeeper completed his loan move from Arsenal today and spoke to the club’s official TV station and website.
“I couldn’t wait to get here and now I’m here. It’s great to meet everyone around the club. Now I can’t wait to get started with some hard work,” he told Roma TV.
“It was a no-brainer for me. Once the offer from Roma came in, I spoke to Arsene Wenger and he told me it would be a fantastic move for me to join Roma and play in the Champions League, fight for the Serie A title and try and improve the squad.
“I then spoke to Walter Sabatini and made my decision very quickly. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to gain valuable experience as a young goalkeeper but also to try and help the team.
“Sabatini told me what he expects of me, which is to work really hard and really be a part of this great football club. I’m really, really looking forward to it and I’m very happy for the warm welcome I’ve received.”
Szczesny is particularly fired up to see the ultras in action at the Stadio Olimpico.
“I can’t wait to experience that. My friends have been showing me videos of the Roma supporters and they look really passionate. That’s what I’m really looking forward to from my time here – a lot of passion – because I’m a very passionate person myself and I can’t wait to get out there for the first time.
“I know Roma are a great club. I know they came second in Serie A last season and I’ve obviously watched them in the Champions League. They’ve got a fantastic group of players.
“I watched the pre-season games this summer and obviously Francesco Totti is a massive legend at this club and I’m quite excited to meet him tomorrow.
“As I’ve watched them many times, it’s not a totally new experience for me. I know the faces of the players and I know their names, so hopefully I settle in very quickly.
“As I said to Walter earlier, I don’t want to focus on just getting experience here and going back to Arsenal. I didn’t come here just to go back to Arsenal after one year.
“I’ve come here to win trophies with AS Roma and I believe that the team is strong enough to do so. I think there’s great potential. I’m here to win games and trophies for this club.
“I’m excited rather than nervous. I obviously have to learn Italian the best I can – I have to communicate with them. In the last week, I’ve already made an effort to take some Italian lessons back in London so I’m going to try and settle in very quickly and show my qualities on the pitch, which is the most important thing.”
The Poland international had fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal and many supporters there considered him error-prone.
“I believe I’m able to win points for the team. I think that when you look at a goalkeeper over a season, you want to see how many points you’ve won for the team and how many mistakes you’ve made. You add them all up and you hope that your goalkeeper has won points for the team.
“I had a difficult time last year – I’m the first person to admit that. I didn’t have the best of seasons, that’s why things have turned out the way they have, but I’m grateful because it gives me the opportunity to join Roma this season.
“As I said, I’m here to win. The dream scenario would be to win Serie A and do well in the Champions League. We’ll see, it’s always difficult to guess a month before the season starts what the outcome is going to be. I’m sure that with the potential that this group of players has, this team is capable of challenging for the title and improving on last year.”
Szczesny was asked if he had a message for the Roma fans.
“I had a very warm welcome at the airport – it was very overwhelming, very passionate and I want to thank them and promise them that although I’m only here for a year, I will do my absolute best for this football club and I’ll give my heart and soul to this club for a year.
“I hope it pays off with a lot of wins and trophies at the end of the season.”