The exciting transfer window at Barcelona continues. After a number of high-profile departures, plus some promising arrivals, there will be more. The Blaugranas will sign Eric Garcia from Manchester City and sell Jean-Clair Todibo to Benfica, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Barcelona to Sign Eric Garcia and Sell Jean-Clair Todibo
Not the First La Masia Product to Come Back
Garcia shows plenty of potential for the future and his future will undoubtedly be in Barcelona. He already shows some similarities to a very important Barca player. A product of their famed La Masia academy, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City prized him away.
However, he will be returning home. If for some reason it’s not this year, it will be next year, but he’s coming home. Gerard Pique also moved abroad to Manchester, that time prized away by Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. However, he returned home within a few years and went on to have an incredible career at the Camp Nou.
It’s very fitting that the man said to be Pique’s replacement has a very similar story to the 33-year-old himself. Gaining experience in a league like the Premier League and working for such a talented manager will no doubt have made Garcia better, much like it did for Pique.
Of course, Pique will be there to mentor and coach Garcia as well, not to mention legendary centre-back and current head coach Ronald Koeman.
Todibo Simply Didn’t Make the Cut
While the young Frenchman showed potential in a few first-team starts, he is not good enough to be a starter in the first team. He’s also not better than Ronald Araujo, another young centre-back gem at Barcelona, not to mention Pique and Clement Lenglet.
Had Todibo stayed, he would have always been considered the distant fourth choice (along with Samuel Umtiti), and Barcelona knew they couldn’t buy Garcia until they sold him. Therefore, Todibo’s sale and Garcia’s signing will leave them with four quality centre-backs, all capable of playing big roles this season (plus Umtiti, who the club are struggling to offload).
The four options of Pique, Lenglet, Araujo and Garcia make up an excellent cohort, and should settle Barcelona’s defensive options for the upcoming season.
At the heart of the defence, they are all settled though. Todibo will also have a great career at Benfica, possibly leading to a move to an even bigger club down the road. While he wasn’t good enough for Barcelona, he’s still good enough for many other teams.
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