5 academy graduates who were let go too soon by their original clubs | Premier League 2019-20 

#4 Wojciech Szczesny

Arsenal should never have let Wojciech Szczesny leave the Emirates

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is currently rated as one of the best in the world in his position, and with huge fees now being spent on keepers – with the world record fee being broken twice in 2018 and the current record being the £71.6m paid by Chelsea for Athletic Bilbao’s Kepa Arrizabalaga – it’s hard to believe that the Old Lady only paid €12m for the Polish stopper back in 2017.

The club that he broke through at as an academy graduate – Arsenal – must regret their decision greatly now. Perhaps the most painful thing for the Gunners is that Szczesny had actually established himself as their #1 before being sent packing, and in hindsight, the North London side must wish they’d had more patience with him.

Signed by Arsenal’s academy at the age of 16 back in 2006, Szczesny made his way into the senior squad during the 2009-10 season, and after a positive loan spell at Brentford, he was established as the Gunners’ #1 by the start of 2011. 2011-12 saw him play in all of Arsenal’s Premier League games, but not long after, he began to make some mistakes and his attitude was brought into question.

Although he was just 25 at the time, Arsenal’s power-brokers decided that a change was needed, and in the summer of 2015, the Polish keeper was replaced by veteran Petr Cech – some 8 years Szczesny’s senior – and sent on loan to Italian side Roma.

But despite Szczesny succeeding in his two loan spells with the Serie A team – keeping the most clean sheets in the league in 2016-17 – Arsenal still didn’t trust him, and sold him to Juventus upon his return to London.

Unfortunately for Arsenal though, Cech’s form soon started to wane, and just a year after selling Szczesny, the Gunners were forced to spend £22.5m on a replacement – Bernd Leno, who most fans today would agree isn’t quite as good as the Polish keeper – who clearly should’ve been treated more patiently at the Emirates.