Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s role as Barcelona’s first-choice goalkeeper is no longer guaranteed following the arrival of Joan Garcia, this is according to Blaugrana sporting director Deco who said “everyone starts from scratch” ahead of the 2025/2026 season.
Ter Stegen suffered a patellar tendon rupture in September last year, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the campaign. During his absence, Barcelona turned to Wojciech Szczesny, who came out of retirement to fill the void.
Hansi Flick alternated between Szczesny and Inaki Pena as Barcelona swept away all of their domestic competition to win the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and La Liga while also reaching the Champions League semi finals.
Despite this, Barcelona have reinforced their goalkeeping department, signing Garcia from city rivals Espanyol for a reported €25 million on a six-year contract.
Garcia impressed in La Liga last season, leading the division with 146 saves and recording eight clean sheets in 38 appearances for Espanyol.
His arrival has cast doubt over Ter Stegen’s starting XI status at the club and recent comments from sporting director Deco has only fueled those doubts even further.
“I don’t have to talk to him. My obligation is to make the best team possible for the coach. This isn’t my responsibility,” Deco told La Vanguardia.
“There’s no contract that says you’re going to play no matter what. From here on, it’s the coach who makes the decisions, and each player has his own ambitions.
“We’ve made the decision to sign a young goalkeeper. It means he can play tomorrow, be on the bench, or play in a year or two.
“We have certain expectations for Joan that must then be met. Everyone starts from scratch. It’s the manager who will have to decide.”
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