It would seem that a new kind of competition may be closer than ever to be being born within Barcelona. Typically, for the Catalan giants, most of the internal competition arrives either in the frontline or the midfield. However, this time around, there will likely be a different kind of internal pressure at Barcelona.
Due to the untimely and unfortunate injury to Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, one that will likely see him remain sidelined for the entirety of the season that is left, it was upto Barcelona to decide how to proceed from there onwards. Fortunately, they do have a backup option who has studied under Ter Stegen’s guidance.
That player would be Inaki Pena, the Spanish goalkeeper who has been Ter Stegen’s deputy since quite some time now. However, while Hansi Flick seems to have full faith in Pena’s ability, his road to becoming the starter for Barcelona may be tougher than initially expected.
The reason behind that, according to AS, is the possible arrival of Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Despite having retired this year, the 34-year-old former Juventus man seems to be on his way to Barcelona and his arrival will come with one distinct purpose.
That specific purpose would be to play as much as possible for Barcelona and there is no other intention behind him coming out for retirement this soon. Interestingly, as revealed by a former player on SER Catalunya, the influence that Robert Lewandowski had on convincing his former Polish teammate to join Barcelona was massive but Szczesny had one key demand himself:
“From what I’ve heard, there was a call between Lewandowski and Szczesny in which the keeper said he’s content where he is, but if he’s coming, it’s to be the starter, not to sit on the bench.”
That may come as bad news for Inaki Pena but it will likely be music to the ears of the people at Barcelona and those who support the club. With more competition comes more quality and competition is something that the Catalan giants have severely lacked within the goalkeeper position for several years now.
So far, the deal to bring in Szczesny has not been completed just yet but reliable sources such as Fabrizio Romano have already stated that it is as good as done. Only time will now tell how much longer it takes for the Pole to arrive at the club and just how the competition between Pena and him will pan out for the starting role within Hansi Flick’s team.
