Barcelona have been one of the stories of the season under Hansi Flick in 2024/25, racing out to a big lead in LaLiga on the backs of record-breaking goal-scoring, including a 4-0 blowout of eternal rivals and defending European champions Real Madrid.
Lately, the results have run dry, with Barcelona losing to Real Sociedad and Las Palmas, as well as suffering 2-2 draws to mid-table sides Celta Vigo and Real Betis.
Those dropped points are a reminder that Barcelona still have a ways to go before they have a squad that can consistently run the table in the Champions League and LaLiga, as they are a humbling reminder of the weaknesses that remain in Catalunya.
Barcelona will want to further retool the squad next summer, and there are dreams of bringing in big names to further bolster this electrifying attack, with eyes specifically on dynamic left wing targets like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rafael Leao, and LaLiga’s very own Nico Williams.
In the meantime, Barcelona have to decide which players they are willing to sacrifice, as some very solid starters like Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Frenkie de Jong have been mired in transfer rumors dating back to last season.
There is one player guaranteed to leave Barcelona, though, even as it is unclear how Joan Laporta, Deco, and Flick view the big names in the lineup who are wanted by other clubs.
Eric Garcia is that player, and Diario Sport’s Jordi Gil is even reporting that Eric’s status at the club has declined so much in recent months that Barcelona are expected to field offers for the versatile defender in the January 2025 transfer market.
While Eric isn’t going to have the most extensive list of suitors, he has shown that he can help out a mid-table team in LaLiga. Even last season, he was quite useful to a title contender in Girona, starting 30 games and scoring 5 goals as a center back.
Still only 23 years old, Eric had a career year for the local rivals in 2023/24, averaging 2.8 combined tackles and interceptions per game with a pass completion percentage of around 90 and more than 70 passes per game.
While he is a decent player for a lesser team, Eric has no chance of playing for Barcelona, as evidenced by the fact that Flick has given the youngster just 8 total LaLiga minutes since returning from injury and only 446 minutes and 3 starts overall.
Barcelona have a logjam at center back once Christensen and Araujo are healthy, with Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi already forming a solid partnership – and we all know Barca are good for producing a quality defender from their youth academy every couple of years.
Eric needs to spread his wings beyond the Blaugrana, who could use him to make a decent amount of money on the transfer market because of his age, ball-playing ability, and solid film in 2023/24 with Girona.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.