Eric Garcia to Barcelona was one of the many talked about transfers sagas during the summer transfer window. The Blaugrana were desperate to sign the Spaniard and had a deadline day bid for the 19-year old rejected by the Sky Blues. Manchester City football operations officer Omar Berrada has revealed that Barcelona fell £2 million short of their valuation of the Spanish international.
The lack of depth in defence was one of the major reasons for Manchester City’s poor showing for last season. Their inability to replace Vincent Kompany and Aymeric Laporte’s injury issues saw them struggling on the defensive end. While Fernandinho, Nicolas Otamendi, and John Stones filled in on several occasions, they failed to impress. This season, though, City addressed the issue and have brought in Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias.
Manchester City Reveal the Reason for Blocking Eric Garcia Move
Eric Garcia an Important Player for Pep Guardiola
Garcia was one of the breakout stars for Manchester City last season. The Spaniard was a regular fixture for Man City following the restart.
Omar Berrada, in an interview with Manchester Evening News, said: “Eric has developed into an important player for us and played some important games, especially in the last few months – semi-finals of the FA Cup, quarter-finals of the Champions League. He’s become a top young centre back who Pep trusts, and we feel that keeping him this season was worth more than what we were offered for him.”
But, Berrada still believes Garcia has a major role to play this season, and he stated: “We believe that he can add depth to the squad, and can be important in important games.This is a season that is going to be very difficult for the players, physically and mentally. It’s very congested, there will be a lot of pressure to play many games both in terms of club competitions but also the international games that they have to play, so it is all very concentrated and congested.
“There is a high risk of injuries, there are risks of quarantine due to Covid so we’ve taken all that into account and taken the decision that we want him to stay. It is important to have more depth in the squad, especially in that position where we’ve had some unfortunate injuries over the last few years.”
A Return to Barcelona for the Spaniard Next Season?
Eric Garcia spent almost ten years at La Masia before joining Manchester City’s academy in 2017. The Spaniard made his debut in 2018, and has so far made 25 appearances in all competitions for the Citizens. The Spaniard, whose contract expires in 2021, is reportedly keen to move back to Barcelona.
Barcelona will likely look to sign Garcia next year. They can sign Garcia for a small fee in January or on a free at the end of the season. It seems like only a matter of time before Garcia returns to his homeland.
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