Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has moved to quieten rumours of that his parent club will look to sell him this summer. The 24-year-old has spent this season on loan at Girona, where he has impressed, as part of their historic campaign.
With the Blaugrana eyeing up sales this summer, and with eight central defenders on the books once the loanees return, it is one of the areas they may look to slim down. Recent reports have claimed that Garcia will be one of the victims.
However Garcia has told RAC1, via Sport, that he will be heading back to Barcelona this summer, although he did not rule out an exit entirely.
“I have a contract, I have to return once the season is over. What is one hundred percent certain is that I will return to Barca. Then, once I am there, I will see what happens.”
Garcia also sounded ready to fight for his place in the side, in spite of the heavy competition for places.
“Competition makes everyone better and in the summer I did have the personal need to go out, to play every weekend, to be able to enjoy playing again day in and day out. Once I return to Barca, I know that there are centre-backs that are doing very well, but I am also doing well here. I know the football I have and I am showing who I am, no more no less.”
One of the reasons that competition has become so stiff is the emergence of Pau Cubarsi, at just 17 years of age.
“It has been a surprise for everyone. I had already seen him because he had come up to train with us and he looked like a kid who could see things differently. He has shown it, he performs at a very high level. With young people you have to be patient. Like Lamine. What they do is crazy, but you have to be patient, they are doing it so well that the day they don’t do it so well, we have to ensure we’re not going to kill them.”
“I wasn’t as young as them when I started playing, but in the end the world of football ends up being results-oriented. When things go well and you win, it doesn’t matter if you play better or worse, but when things don’t go well, they always try to focus things on someone.”
As things stand, Cubarsi and Ronald Araujo appear to be the preferred pairing for Xavi Hernandez. Their abundance of central defenders has seen Jules Kounde at right-back and Andreas Christensen in midfield, but should the Blaugrana find more permanent solutions at those positions, game time in the middle of defence will come at a premium.