Porto tried to land Barcelona's Eric Garcia at the end of the summer

Eric Garcia returned from his loan spell at Girona this summer with the conviction to fight for a place in Hansi Flick's line-ups. For the moment, the coach brought him on from the bench in the games against Valencia, Athletic and Real Valladolid. Before this series of performances, the centre-back had the option of signing for Porto, who made an offer for him with little time left before the end of the summer transfer window.

'Mundo Deportivo' claims that the Portuguese put a loan with option to buy or a transfer on the table at Montjuic, but Barcelona refused because of Andreas Christensen's injury and Bayer Leverkusen's refusal to talk about a potential sale of Jonathan Tah. Deco was aware that losing the Spanish centre-back would have reduced the options available in the back line and opted to keep him.

Michel was also on the lookout for his possible arrival if the 'Cules' board were willing to part with him, but, in the end, he has been confirmed as part of the Catalan side squad. It is quite likely that he will end up playing a major role in the main part of the season, as the calendar has ballooned and the management of so many matches invites the coaches to introduce more changes than ever before.

For the moment, the Pau Cubarsi-Inigo Martinez pairing is Hansi Flick's priority and, when Ronald Araujo returns from injury, he is tipped to take his place ahead of Eric Garcia, who made his mark on the international stage by winning the Olympic Games with the Spanish national team. 

 

September 9, 2024