Barcelona’s summer transfer window was full of questions, and one of the biggest talking points was the goalkeeper situation. With Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined and rumours swirling about his fut...
Barcelona’s summer transfer window was full of questions, and one of the biggest talking points was the goalkeeper situation.
With Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined and rumours swirling about his future, the arrival of Joan Garcia raised eyebrows, not least because he joined from city rivals Espanyol.
Speaking with Mundo Deportivo, sporting director Deco clarified the reasoning behind the signing and dismissed any suggestion that Ter Stegen’s position at the club was under threat.
“Two years ago, you wouldn’t have thought about signing a goalkeeper so quickly. Things have led us to this point,” Deco admitted.
“We started talking internally first about what we had at home and saw that we had great goalkeepers who weren’t playing.
“I didn’t think it was such a priority initially, but we turned our attention to players we had known for a long time.”
The sporting director went on to state that the club had been scouting Garcia for a long time and everybody thought he would be the right choice for the team.
“We knew Joan, but he has stood out and confirmed what we already knew from scouting. We wanted to sign him because we urgently needed a goalkeeper for the present and the future.
“We didn’t know if it would be possible because signing a player isn’t like going to the supermarket and buying something. In Joan’s case, the key factor was that he’s very intelligent.
“I know it’s difficult to leave Espanyol, a city rival, but I think that for him, Barça’s goal could be something for the present because Marc got injured, and that’s why Joan is getting the opportunities he’s getting.”
No conflict between Ter Stegen and Garcia
Deco insisted that the decision had nothing to do with Ter Stegen’s standing.
“Marc is a great goalkeeper, captain of the team, and he has a history with the club that we respect and value.
Deco clarified that the club realised they needed to sign a new keeper when Ter Stegen got injured.
“The thing is, it wasn’t because of Marc. When he got injured, we realised we didn’t have many goalkeepers, so we started looking for goalkeepers, which wasn’t part of the plan. We wanted a young goalkeeper.
“If we were looking for someone who could give us immediate results, we would have looked for someone aged 28 or 30.
Joan Garcia was signed from Espanyol. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
“Why a young player? Because they can give you both the present and the future. That was the idea with Joan. That’s how it is, but here things get blown out of proportion.”
He also confirmed that Ter Stegen had been kept in the loop. “I’ll say it again, there’s no issue, there’s no problem with Ter Stegen and Joan Garcia.
“We had a problem because when we looked around, we only had Inaki and the other goalkeepers were very young.
“It’s a matter of planning, of not leaving yourself with a problem for the future. After that, it’s up to the coach to decide who’s going to play.”
Ter Stegen’s recovery and public comments
Ter Stegen is expected to return by December, but Deco ruled out any chance of him leaving in January.
“The fact is that Marc is not part of our plans right now. If Marc were available, he would surely be playing. He has a contract, and that’s how it is.”
When asked about the German’s remarks that he only had three months off before surgery, Deco kept his response measured.
“I’m not going to get into those issues. Surely because of his last back injury, which kept him out for two and a half or three months, I imagine he was hoping to come back early.”
“The player is free to make his statements, to perhaps explain his personal issues, and we don’t have any clear rules to say that he can’t do this.
“Instagram has become quite complicated in my opinion, sometimes players make public things that should be internal, but everyone is free to do so and there is no controversy in that regard,” he concluded.
Category: General Sports
