The report came as a surprise to many when club Boss Pep Guardiola said after Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final victory over Tottenham that Eric Garcia is set to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
Based on report as gathered by football analyst saying that Garcia has made just two starts in the Premier League this season and was left out of Guardiola’s squad altogether this weekend as City claimed their fourth straight League Cup with special thanks to Aymeric Laporte’s late header at Wembley.
Although the 20-year-old centre-back who has been capped seven times by the Spain national team is said to have grown frustrated by a lack of regular game-time at the Etihad with the club planning to tie him down with an extension that was unsuccessful.
Club information states that Garcia who rose through Barca’s academy ranks before joining City in 2017 with Guardiola.
Speaking at his post-match press conference in which Club Boss Pep confirm to sport reporter that the defender’s intention to return to the Nou Camp when his contract expires in June has been granted by the club management.
Quoting Guardiola in his own words saying that “You cannot arrive with just 11, 12 or 13 players. It’s impossible, especially this week,’
He told reporters at his post-match press conference when asked about Raheem Sterling being in and out of the side. ‘So we rotate six, seven, eight players and there are players who even don’t play much who I think about all the time. ‘For example, Eric Garcia is one of my favourite players. I would love to have 15 Eric Garcias for the way he conducts himself, his behaviour. He’s always thinking in the team. ‘It’s always a good phase, he helps the manager and the backroom staff all the time and I would love it… ‘He will go in an incredible team and when the people say the people are unsatisfied if I don’t play them… ‘I think with Eric, like most of the times, he’s not on the bench because he’s going to move to Barcelona, I hope so. But I think of them. It’s tough but it is what it is.’
Although it was noted that Garcia was able to made a breakthrough towards the end of last season as he established himself as a regular at the heart of City’s defence alongside Laporte but it was also noted that with John Stones’ revival which lead to Garcia drop down the pecking order this term and the young Spain international looks likely to have played his last game for the Premier League leaders.
Based on observation it was noted that the soon-to-be Barcelona man has made 33 appearances since breaking into City’s first-team back in December 2018
