Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny confirms AS Roma loan move

Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny has confirmed he will join AS Roma on loan in an Instagram video on 27 July.

The goalkeeper spent the second half of the 2014/15 season on the bench as poor form forced Arsene Wenger to drop him and start David Ospina ahead of him. The Colombian international impressed in this calendar year as the Gunners finished third in the last campaign.

The north London club completed the signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea in a deal worth £10m ($14.1m), according to the BBC. The Czech Republican international's arrival at the Emirates has seen Szczesny drop further down the pecking order.

With the 25-year-old confirming the move to join the Italian outfit on a season-long loan deal, it leaves Wenger with Cech and Ospina as the two options in the goalkeeping position for the new season.

"Good evening, Giallorossi supporters, I am very happy because tomorrow I go to Rome. See you then," Szczesny posted on his Instagram account.

The Arsenal manager also confirmed Szczesny's move to Roma is nearly done on 24 July. Despite allowing him to leave the club on loan, Wenger confirmed the stopper has a future at the Emirates.

"He could go on loan to Roma. We are pretty much done, it's down to paperwork. As long as that's not over the line, anything can happen," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

"Szczesny is a top-class goalkeeper and we have three top goalkeepers. If one of the goalkeepers can play somewhere then it's good."

"I believe he will have a future at Arsenal because I personally rate him highly. I put him in the first team at the age of 20 and he already has huge experience."

"I don't want that experience he got when he was very young to be wasted and that is why I gave him the opportunity."

"I believe Roma is a big club and they play in the Champions League, play in a very different championship as well and that is a big experience for him and he is 25 years old. But the experience he already has at his age is fantastic," the Frenchman concluded.

Szczesny started for the Emirates club in the FA Cup final against Aston Villa in May as Arsenal registered a 4-0 victory at Wembley. He helped the Gunners retain the FA Cup as they have won the competition on two successive occasions.