In a recent interview, Barcelona’s Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny openly stated that he believes that the target Arsenal have been eyeing, Spaniard’s young goalkeeper Joan Garcia, is one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga at the moment.
Coming from a seasoned professional, this comment naturally raised a lot of eyebrows. After all, as a fellow player, Szczesny knows exactly what constitutes a “top” performance.
Garcia has grown up quickly from youth to first-team level
Joan Garcia has been a fan of Espanyol since he was a young boy, and he has grown up at the club, having been promoted to the first team in 2021 at the age of 15. Despite his young age, he showed strength and potential that quickly attracted attention.
By the start of the 2022/23 season, Garcia was already wearing the team’s No. 1 jersey, the iconic number for the goalkeeper position. Up to now, he has made more than 60 appearances for the Spaniard, winning a lot of fans’ love and support with his steady performance.
He was also named the club’s Player of the Year in this past season. It can be said that his performance on the pitch has proved his value.
Arsenal were close to signing him
According to media reports, Garcia had previously reached some personal agreements with Premier League giants Arsenal. But unfortunately, the transfer didn’t end up being completed as Arsenal were not willing to pay a release fee of up to €30 million (about £25 million).
However, the Gunners have not completely given up on the idea of bringing in the young goalkeeper. If the Spaniards are relegated at the end of the season, Garcia’s release clause will be reduced to around €15 million, which would be more attractive to other clubs.
As well as Arsenal, there are reports that Real Madrid are also interested in Garcia and are discussing possible transfer plans with him and his team.
Garcia probable to leave next summer
Although the Spaniards are still struggling for relegation success, they have realized internally that Garcia will almost certainly leave whether the team stays in La Liga or not. His contract is set to expire in the summer of 2025, and if he doesn’t renew it, he will leave the team as a free agent at that point.
So the most realistic thing for the Spaniards to do now is to sell him before next summer and recoup as much money as possible.
Garcia himself has been very honest
In February this year, Garcia talked about his future in an interview with a local media. He said he wasn’t going to think too much about transfers right now, and just wanted to play the game in front of him.
He said, “I’m not going to think about what’s going to happen in the future, the only thing I want to do is to finish the season well and give the fans a satisfactory explanation.”
This attitude also makes many fans full of respect for him. After all, no matter what the future holds, he is still giving his all to fight for the team now.
Overall, Joan Garcia has grown into a very capable young goalkeeper. He is technically well-rounded, has quick reflexes, makes good saves, and is mentally sound. What’s more, he has a clear plan for his career.
Both the praise from Szczesny and the interest from Real Madrid and Arsenal show that he has been recognized in European football. The next key is how he himself chooses and whether the Spaniards will be willing to release him.
For fans, perhaps the best thing they can hope to see right now is that Garcia can continue to excel for the rest of the season, whether he ends up staying at Espanyol or starting a new chapter.
