FC Barcelona have definitely benefitted from the acquisitions they made to solidify their defense in the form of Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen in the last summer transfer window. However, while the club will be more than happy with their recent reinforcements, Eric Garcia is possibly a party who is not very happy in the current situation as he has been pushed back in the pecking order.
Defense has been one of FC Barcelona’s major strengths this season, which has allowed them to sit atop the league table with more than half of league matches being played. In this process, the club has kept 16 clean sheets in 20 matches and conceded only 7 goals. As a result, Xavi’s confidence in the Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, and Balde backline has only grown in recent matches.
This puts Eric Garcia in a difficult position. The player, having grown in FC Barcelona subsidiaries, came back to the Catalan capital as a free agent from Manchester City. He played a significant number of matches in the last season, but this season, he has only been able to get 9 appearances up to now.
His problems are expected to grow further as FC Barcelona are reported to be looking for yet another defender, with Inigo Martinez and Evan Ndicka are the main names being associated with the Catalan club for now. Still, according to SPORT, Eric retains the confidence of Xavi and the sporting staff, particularly because of the professionalism he has shown in a difficult situation.
Furthermore, the club believes the player has the potential to grow into a more skillful defender, and his salary, which is within the new wage structure being implemented in the club, also makes him valuable for the club. As a result, he is not on the market for now. However, the club will respect his decision if he wants to leave in the summer for more minutes.
