Renowned Journalist Confirms Manchester City Defender Wants To Join Barcelona: What Should Be Pep’s Play? | OneFootball

In a recent tweet, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the future of Manchester City defender Eric Garcia. The Italian journalist has claimed that the Spanish centre-back has informed the Man City board about his desire to join Barcelona either in January or next summer on a free transfer.

Garcia’s Impressive Rise Under Pep Guardiola’s Tutelage Last Season

Garcia has established himself as a valuable member of Pep Guardiola’s squad over the past year as he produced a string of impressive displays at the heart of the defence. The 19-year-old made 20 senior appearances for the Mancunian giants in the last term, registering one goal and one yellow card in various competitions.

The one-time Spanish international showed his defensive prowess by averaging 0.5 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game in the Premier League last season. Garcia ended the previous campaign with a pass completion rate of 93.1% to his name which highlights just how well he can distribute the ball out from the back (stats via whoscored).

The one-time Spanish international will struggle to get regular first-team football this season after the arrivals of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth and Ruben Dias from Benfica this summer. Hence, it is only logical for the player to seek a return to Barcelona, where he enjoyed a successful youth career.

What Does The Spanish Defensive Ace Bring To The Table?

Garcia has shown that he can be a capable defender at the back and is also quite dependable when playing his way out of defence. He can judge the situation well, which helps him earn possession back for his side. The Spanish youngster can also get back quickly to make a clearance when he is getting stretched by the opposition attackers. However, he is still quite inexperienced at the highest level, which explains why Guardiola has decided to bring in some fresh faces into his defensive department earlier this summer.

Garcia Eager To Join Barcelona: What Should Be Guardiola’s Play Here?

The Barcelona youth product has got less than a year remaining on his current contract at the Etihad Stadium which means that he could opt for a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January before leaving on a free transfer at the end of this season.

Hence, Guardiola’s hands are tied if he fails to change Garcia’s stance about not penning a new deal. At the moment, Man City will be better of concentrating on matters on the pitch. The reigning EFL Cup champions have got the likes of Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake vying for a first-team place at the Etihad Stadium. It seems like Garcia is surplus to requirements, so it remains to be seen whether Guardiola uses him as much as he did last season or decides to freeze him out of the club.