Gianluigi Buffon welcomes Wojciech Szczesny, Gianluigi Donnarumma links

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 11 June 2017

Buffon welcomes Szczesny, Donnarumma links

Gianluigi Buffon believes that compatriot Gianluigi Donnarumma and Arsenal stopper Wojciech Szczesny are the "right choices" to potentially replace him at Juventus.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has backed his side's rumoured pursuit of Wojciech Szczesny and Gianluigi Donnarumma, insisting that they are the "right choices" to potentially succeed him.

The Bianconeri legend is now into the last year of his latest contract and is thought to be preparing for his final campaign in senior football.

Juventus are reportedly looking to bring Arsenal keeper Szczesny, who has spent the last two seasons on loan in Serie A with Roma, and highly-rated AC Milan youngster Donnarumma to Turin this summer.

Buffon would be happy with those signings, but is hoping to remain a regular in 2017-18 as he aims to potentially go out on a high.

"To me, they seem to be the right choices," he told reporters. "Well, I've always been, I believe, a reasonable person who tries to understand the meaning of things. And it is right that Juve try to sign a goalkeeper like him, it is right that our national team has goalkeepers like these, in this case one like Gigio Donnarumma.

"Because in the end you make progress because of your merits, and as I always say a coach has to choose his formation to win the game, and should only think about that. It's right that it works this way. This means that for me it's a great incentive, because I know that even if I'm 39 or 40 years old if want to keep a certain prestige, a certain role, I have to work hard.

"The day I don't want to work hard anymore I'll just stay at home, because – inevitably – goalkeepers like Szczesny, like Donnarumma or like [Alex] Meret are regulars. They're number ones, and they are because of their merits, and not because of somebody else's favour. I am not eternal and I never thought that I was.

"I think of the group, so Juventus and the Nazionale quite rightly have to plan beyond the individual. I said in the past that I might not want to be a coach, but perhaps a CT at international level would be less stressful on a daily basis. When I do retire, I'd like to rest a little bit, as it has been a long and intense career."

Buffon has spent the past 16 years at Juventus since joining from Parma in a record-breaking deal for a keeper, which was only surpassed this week when Ederson swapped Benfica for Manchester City.