As Iñaki Peña departs, Barcelona acquires Joan García.

 

By Isabella Martin, Barcelona – Barcelona have moved swiftly to overhaul their goalkeeping department, agreeing to sign 23-year-old Joan García from Espanyol while backing the departure of long-serving backup Iñaki Peña. The club’s board and coach Hansi Flick have approved the transfer, which activates García’s €25 million release clause. García is being brought in as more than just cover for veteran Marc-André ter Stegen; club leaders see him as a genuine contender for the starting spot going forward. Peña, who became third-choice after the arrival of veteran Wojciech Szczęsny, has agreed to leave Barça this summer, freeing up the roster space and wages to accommodate the new signing.

García arrives with a strong reputation forged at Espanyol. Standing 1.91 m, the Spaniard has been instrumental in Espanyol’s recent successes – he backstopped the team through the promotion playoffs and excelled upon their return to La Liga. This season he has led all La Liga goalkeepers in saves (123 on the campaign, roughly four per game), a testament to his shot-stopping ability and agility. Scouts praise his athletic footwork and composure; one analysis noted García “made the difficult things look easy,” with “super clean footwork” and effortless high claims. Despite still being just 23, he has shown the mental maturity of a much more seasoned player, a trait Barcelona values highly in building for the future.

Barcelona’s management and coaching staff have publicly signalled their confidence in García. Sporting leadership remarked that Barca will “have to have another goalkeeper” in the near future and, when asked about García, admitted “I have very little idea about goalkeepers… but Joan García is a good goalkeeper.” Executives also underscored the club’s high regard for García’s qualities, praising his youth, personality and ability to play with his feet as “key” attributes for the team’s style. The timing of the move reflects Barcelona’s urgency: with Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Aston Villa and others tracking García, the board moved decisively to secure him before rival suitors struck.

For his part, Hansi Flick has kept his comments measured but made clear that Barcelona’s goalkeeping roster is set for change. After the final match of the season, Flick praised Peña’s professionalism but declined to discuss García specifically, noting that “he’s a very good player, but I don’t talk about those who are not in my team… we have three fantastic goalkeepers” (implying Ter Stegen, Szczęsny and Peña at the time). In practice, though, García’s arrival means that Ter Stegen – who has long enjoyed an uncontested role – will now face competition. The 33-year-old German has generally been outstanding, but a series of knee surgeries has raised questions about his long-term durability. Observers suggest Barcelona intends to use this situation to push Ter Stegen through healthy rivalry: García’s signing, according to one analysis, will create a “good problem” in goal, providing back-up quality and competition that could raise the team’s overall level for years to come.

Peña’s departure and García’s arrival leave Barcelona with a recalibrated goalkeeping order. Peña, who had temporarily inherited the No.1 spot during Ter Stegen’s injury last winter, realized he would be relegated to third choice and pressed for a move. The club has granted that request, and reports indicate he will join a La Liga rival on a permanent deal. With Peña gone and Szczęsny still weighing a contract renewal, Barcelona will enter July with García, Ter Stegen and Szczęsny as their senior custodians.