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6 hours ago
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Barcelona have wrapped up their first summer signing in goalkeeper Joan Garcia from their Catalan rivals, Espanyol. The 24-year-old Spaniard was one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga last season and Barcelona saw the opportunity and secured his services.
The Blaugrana faced some uncertainty with their goalkeeper last season, especially after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's injury, and Wojciech Szczesny had to come out of retirement to bail out the Catalans.
So getting a young, talented goalkeeper in the mix was crucial, and they have just done that with Garcia, who is coming off a sensational season with his boyhood club Espanyol.
Recently, Barcelona sporting director Deco appeared in an interview with La Vanguardia (captured by Mundo Deportivo) where he clarified that Barca were not in the market to sign a new goalkeeper, but they grabbed the opportunity as it came their way.
“Goalkeeping was not a priority, but we have seen an opportunity for the market, for the present and for the future. There are not many young players at his level. We never spoke to Joan before the end of the league. We have spoken to his agent, telling him that if the player opened the option of Barcelona, we would like to talk to him, and we explained the idea.”
Deco gave an example of the goalkeeper situation at Liverpool when he was asked about the future of Barcelona's experienced goalkeeping options - Ter Stegen and Szczesny, and the implication of Garcia joining the setup.
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“I give a very simple example. Liverpool have a goalkeeper called Alisson, 32, and they signed one of the best in La Liga, Mamardashvili, 24. If you have players who are 32-33 years old, you have to try to make a plan forecast.”
Deco addresses speculations around Ter Stegen's departure from Barcelona
Ter Stegen is on the wrong side of thirty, and his game has seen a steep decline in the last couple of years. His performances haven't been satisfactory in the last couple of years, and therefore, there are murmurs of him leaving the club, especially after Barcelona signed Garcia.
When asked about Ter Stegen's situation at Barcelona with Garcia's arrival, Deco was very defensive and felt it is none of his business to determine a player's future. But he keeps his options open for Ter Stegen stay at Camp Nou by suggesting that Garcia will have to prove his worth with performances.
"I don’t have to talk to Ter Stegen. My obligation is to make the best possible team for the coach. This is not my business. In addition, there is no contract in which it says that you are going to play. From here, it is the coach (Hansi Flick) who makes his decision.
"We made a decision to sign a young goalkeeper, which means he can play tomorrow or be on the bench, or play in one or two years’ time. We have expectations with Joan that then have to be fulfilled.
"Everyone who enters here starts from scratch, none of them arrives with an advantage over the others. I have great respect for Marc but with Joan we had to make a decision for the present and the future. The coach will have to decide."
All things considered, Ter Stegen has dropped down the pecking order at Barcelona and with the World Cup happening next year, the German goalkeeper may look to move out of Camp Nou in search of regular gametime.
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