Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Barcelona’s links with Joan Garcia came quite out of the blue, for a new goalkeeper was not rumoured to be on the club’s agenda heading into the summer transfer window.
It will perhaps never come to light if it was an idea in Hansi Flick’s mind for the summer anyway or if the interest emerged given the contractual situation and market position to line up for Garcia.
In the end, however, Barcelona are on the verge of signing the Espanyol star.
What the developments mean, however, is that Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s time at the club may well be coming to a close and that he will not be the starting goalkeeper next season. After all, Garcia is arriving with the sole intention of being the first-choice goalkeeper.
A complicated situation
Given that Ter Stegen only recently recovered from his knee injury and was making his way back into the team, the news came as a huge blow to the German star.
As relayed by Achraf Ben Ayad, Barcelona will handle the goalkeeper’s situation with complete respect and discretion.
What next for Ter Stegen? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
There will be an added layer of sensitivity as he is one of the longest-serving players and captains of the club.
Barça highly respect Ter Stegen and all that he has given the club over the years. At the same time, however, they will not hesitate to sit down and explain the situation to him as it is with no hidden strings.
It is clear that the management saw a change in goal to be a need of the hour and the message to Ter Stegen will thus be that his cycle has come to an end.
Given his contractual situation, he will be more than welcome to stay and attempt to win his place back, as Barcelona are clear that they will not force his departure.
However, that is unlikely given that it is a FIFA World Cup year and that Ter Stegen intends to be Germany’s #1 which will need him to play regularly.