Goalkeeper “knew what was coming” before agreed to join the club
Joan Garcia insists he had “no doubts” about joining Barcelona despite knowing the club might struggle to register him for the new season.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper completed a €25m move from Espanyol earlier this summer but was left in limbo due to La Liga’s financial fair play restrictions preventing the club from registering him.
Barcelona have now received clearance to register the player following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury, which will keep the first-choice goalkeeper out for around four months.
Garcia, who was one of La Liga’s standout goalkeepers last season, said he was aware of the registration issues before signing.
“When I signed, I already knew what was coming,” Garcia told Mundo Deportivo. “I’ve been calm about it the whole time. The club told me to stay calm, that everything would work out, and I trust them.”
Barcelona’s long-running financial issues have delayed registrations for other players in recent seasons, with Dani Olmo and Pau Victor only added to the squad list after legal intervention last year.
This summer, Marcus Rashford, Wojciech Szczesny, Roony Bardghji, and Gerard Martin remain unregistered. Nico Williams, whom the club were interested in signing from Athletic Club, ultimately rejected a move to Barcelona due to fears he might face the same fate.
Club executives recently committed their own personal wealth underwrite a €7m bank to facilitate registrations, but it is unclear what impact this is expected to have and when.
