Barcelona Face Goalkeeping Crisis as Joan Garcia Suffers Injury
Barcelona’s goalkeeping ranks have been further depleted with the confirmation of a meniscus injury to Joan Garcia, a 24-year-old summer signing.the club announced Garcia will undergo arthroscopy, sidelining him for four to six weeks. This setback compounds an existing issue, as first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains unavailable following back surgery since pre-season.
The injury to Garcia throws Barcelona’s goalkeeping depth into sharp focus, leaving manager Hansi Flick with limited immediate options.A year ago,the club had readily available cover in Inaki pena,Ander Astralaga with reserve team experience,and the recently signed Wojciech Szczesny. Now, Szczesny is expected to step into the starting role, but the situation behind him is precarious.
Currently, Pena, Astralaga, and Aron Yaakobishvili are all on loan to Elche, Granada, and Andorra respectively. Adding to the concern, promising youth goalkeeper Iker Rodriguez, 17, is recovering from shoulder surgery. Diego Kochen, previously the designated third goalkeeper while also featuring for Barça Atletic, is currently with the US national team at the U-20 World Cup in Chile.
This leaves 18-year-old Eder Aller, with limited experience with Barça Atletic, and summer signing Emilio Bernad, 26, as the senior reserve options. Aller is poised to become the second-choice goalkeeper in the coming weeks, prompting Flick to consider calling up another youth player to ensure two goalkeepers are available on the bench for each match.
The competition for that final goalkeeping spot falls to Max bonfill (18) or Gerard Sala (17).