Bring it on! Confident Szczesny will relish the competition should Arsenal bring in new goalkeeper this summer



Wojciech Szczesny insists his self-belief has not been 'crushed' despite the doubts over his position as Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper.

The Pole started last season as the club's undoubted first-choice goalkeeper, but a series of errors saw Szczesny replaced by countryman Lukasz Fabianski towards the back end of the campaign.

An injury to Fabianski saw Szczesny reclaim the gloves for the club's final six games of the season as Arsenal pipped bitter rivals Tottenham to the final Champions League place.

Make it snappy! Szczesny would relish the competition if Arsenal bought a new keeper

Confident in ability: Wojciech Szczesny waves to the crowd in Vietnam - he has been a fans' favourite at Arsenal

However, the 23-year-old's place in the first-team has come under threat again with manager Arsene Wenger keen on signing an experienced goalkeeper this summer.

But the shot-stopper insists: 'My confidence never gets crushed.

'Whatever happens, my attitude doesn't change. I still try my very best in training. I want to make sure I'm in the best shape possible.



'Whether someone comes in, it's not really my decision and it won't affect me in any way. You have to deal with the competition.

'I think that the competition from Lukasz when he was fit was pretty tough and I enjoyed it. I really don't mind competition, it can only bring the best out of me.

'I don't doubt myself. There is the same talk every year and no-one has been brought in. I think the manager has shown enough faith in me to make me feel confident in my own abilities.

'It's not really my business if he signs anyone or not. I let him make his decisions and whatever happens, happens. I'm not really interested in that.'

No pressure: The Pole says that he prefers it when there is competition at the club

Unlucky injury: Lukasz Fabianski - prior to his injury - guided the Gunners through one of their most successful periods of the season, where they even defeated eventual Champions League winners Bayern Munich

Manager Arsene Wenger has considered moves for numerous goalkeepers, among them: Julio Cesar, Asmir Begovic and Rene Adler.

But Szczesny insists that he will not look for a route out of the Emirates Stadium should the club land a new keeper.

He added: 'Even if the boss was to make a big signing in goal, I wouldn't look for a way out.

'I would do my very best to compete for the No 1 spot and make sure I do my very best for the club whatever my position at the club is.

'The club is in my heart and I wouldn't be thinking about going elsewhere so my head is pretty clear when it comes to that.'

New gloves? Stoke's Asmir Begovic (left) and QPR's Brazilian star Julio Cesar (right) are linked with Arsenal

Smile for the camera: Szczesny has been in his usual confident mood on the club's tour in Asia

'I'm still a young goalkeeper so I'm going to have my ups and downs. It's normal. There's not a single keeper in the world that goes through a season without a little dip.

'Obviously, you wish that that dip is not long but you have to learn how to deal with disappointments but it never really affected my attitude, which is the most important thing.

'If things go wrong, I just make sure that I try a little bit harder in training. You can play for a smaller club and make a mistake and no-one will really highlight it.

'When you play for a big club, whatever you do is going to be in the papers. People are going to question you but as I said, it's not really a problem for me.