Eric Garcia to Barcelona

[damrider]

Does anyone remember a match from this season where they were impressed by Garcia?

Genuinely all I can remember is feeling "meh" from him.

 

[01cravend]

That one of our brightest young prospects wants to leave?

Pep thought he was good enough at aged 19 to play ahead of Stones and Otamendi.

Pep also thought Stones was good enough to spend 48mil on

 

[pudge]

I'm not sure i really agree here. Unless its a Covid decision then i imagine he thought at the start of this season he would feature more. Then Laporte is out for the season he thinks now is my chance and he starts 2 games up until the covid break. Only once football returned did pep give him a chance and i wonder how much of that had to do with Pep knowing he was considering leaving. For me, his mind was probably made up this season at his lack of football pre covid and the pull of going back to barca.

 

[doobyedoobye]

Agree to an extent. However, I think there’s more raw talent in the favelas and villas of South America, which is where we should be looking. They’re hungrier to achieve and when you come from there, you don’t want to go back.

I think finding and developing blues that understand the dna of the club would be very rewarding for the fans and a great challenge for the Academy if getting local players into the first team was a legitimate goal

 

[philjoneswho?]

Clears a pathway for THB too if Stones stays another year this make his transition smoother

 

[domalino]

Luck to him. Hope we get a decent fee out of it.

We have the youngsters to take his place

We really have to get a good fee because the club wants to keep picking up these Barca/Real players at academy level, and the only way you can stop them thinking they can just pick anyone off at 19 is to make them bleed in negotiations.

 

[doobyedoobye]

Totally agree, we will make money from him, but I would like to see at least our fringe players being local. Maybe Tosin or HB would be at Garcia’s level with playing time.

Winning is obviously crucial, but winning titles with a spine of local players is next level for me

 

[FCBarca]

Does publicly stating a player wants to leave and does not want to sign a contract helps City in anyway. I know it would have been a known thing inside a club but gives a negative vibe to the situation before a very important match.

Pep is honest and considering those involved, he was transparent about its status. It's a good way of working. Similarly, Eric has not made one comment in the media about his contract or Barca - only an indirect leak to a Barcelona journalist from his camp about being open to the idea of a return should the club want him

I suspect within the club, there is disappointment of course but also hardly surprise about the outcome. It'd be more of a distraction IMHO had he dodged the question or lied. It would've put pressure on the player to respond. It's contained this way and also means a deal is likely for a summer move rather than January or next summer - so makes sense to be transparent

 

[Coatigan]

Raclette is my favorite! Rösti is more in the German cantons but I enjoy that as well

First sensible thing you've said pal!

 

[01cravend]

You can't blame him for not signing the contract after being first choice for us for a few months, only for us to go and buy 2 new CBs, both of whom will be ahead of him. Try your chances at your boyhood club instead.

 

[skyblues]

Does anyone remember a match from this season where they were impressed by Garcia?

Genuinely all I can remember is feeling "meh" from him.

How convenient dropping that now.

I’ve been very impressed. Fast, aware of through balls, great slide tackles, reads the game excellent.

People saying Stones is better clearly don’t know much. His talent should be obvious when Pep picks a 19 year old ahead of an english international who should be at his prime and a 31-year old title winner in Otamendi.

I’ll miss Garcia a lot. Quality player, and maybe a bit too good for 4th choice.

 

[RayCTID]

Disappointed with the news but its pointless slating the player or the club. He has shown promise, but there is still a long way in his development to go and with the curent situation at Barcelona it doesn't look like the wisest of choices. Good luck anyway

 

[BigOscar]

How convenient dropping that now.

I’ve been very impressed. Fast, aware of through balls, great slide tackles, reads the game excellent.

People saying Stones is better clearly don’t know much. His talent should be obvious when Pep picks a 19 year old ahead of an english international who should be at his prime and a 31-year old title winner in Otamendi.

I’ll miss Garcia a lot. Quality player, and maybe a bit too good for 4th choice.

"Fast" seems incredibly generous. He'd give Javi Garcia a good race

 

[gomer27]

Disapointed with the news. Although hes has shown promise, there is still a long way in his development to go and with the curent situation at Barcelona it doesn't look like the wisest of choices

This is why I don’t think this transfer makes sense at all, Barca are in alot of trouble and he could have stayed with us for 2-3 years and moved to them at 21 or 22. I just don’t see the need to move right now

 

[Gabriel]

I think finding and developing blues that understand the dna of the club would be very rewarding for the fans and a great challenge for the Academy if getting local players into the first team was a legitimate goal

It might be made easier now that Foden is established in the team. It would also help if he was soon joined by others, say Adarabioyo and Harwood-Bellis competing all season for the fourth spot.

 

[doobyedoobye]

Helps pay for the academy and you reap what you sow

 

[skyblues]

Who would be a good 4th choice if we sign Koulibaly?

People talk alot about Tosin but nothing suggests he has Garcias quality.

 

[robbieh]

Hope he's as successful as Brahim Diaz

 

[doobyedoobye]

It might be made easier now that Foden is established in the team. It would also help if he was soon joined by others, say Adarabioyo and Harwood-Bellis competing all season for the fourth spot.

We have an opportunity with 2 or 3 lads to give them some games this season, but not wanting to sound negative I simply don't think it's part of Pep's plan. His job is to win every game so bringing through local talent is not really part of his mission I suspect

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

It's a shame - but it was inevitable he'd end up going back to the Club he supports, in the City he was born and grew up in, at some point.

Honestly, it's better for us that it happened now, when he's a promising but still relatively peripheral member of our squad, than in 2/3 years when he could have been a regular starter.

I get that he's jumping at the chance to rejoing Barca - it's his Club - and I get that @FCBarca is more excited by seeing EG in the first team over there than Lenglet or Umtiti or any of their current CBs. I'd be exactly the same if a City fan was returing to our club to take his rightful spot in the first team aftre a period of development elsewhere.

I posted a while back that I'm not nearly as bothered by this as I thought I'd be, and I remain so. It would genuinely mean so much more to me if Harwood-Bellis or Tosin were given the chances Eric was going to be given next year, and made a success of it. Two local lads and City fans who've come through our Academy since they were kids, and who genuinely love the Club.

Just like @FCBarca is more excited by Eric - I'm more excited by the prospect of those two being given a chance.

There was plenty of noise around the Academy that Harwood-Bellis was felt to have a higher ceiling than Garcia, although younger and a few steps behind him at the moment.

If this works out that he gets his break this year in place of Eric, I genuinely feel that would be for the best for City.

I wish Eric the best - he's always been respectful to the Club, so I hope this works out for him as he dreams it will!