Hansi Flick stuck with goalkeeper nightmare as wantaway Inaki Pena remains only available option despite Joan Garcia arrival and Wojciech Szczesny renewal

Barcelona’s goalkeeping crisis continues, with only Inaki Pena available for their La Liga opener against Mallorca amid registration and injury woes.

  • Pena the only registered goalkeeper for now
  • Hansi Flick called him up for Korea
  • Garcia and Szczesny still can’t play in La Liga

Hansi Flick stuck with goalkeeper nightmare as wantaway Inaki Pena remains only available option despite Joan Garcia arrival and Wojciech Szczesny renewalHansi Flick stuck with goalkeeper nightmare as wantaway Inaki Pena remains only available option despite Joan Garcia arrival and Wojciech Szczesny renewalHansi Flick stuck with goalkeeper nightmare as wantaway Inaki Pena remains only available option despite Joan Garcia arrival and Wojciech Szczesny renewal

coach Flick is grappling with a surprise goalkeeper crisis ahead of their first La Liga game of the season against Mallorca on August 16. Of the four goalkeepers in the squad, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczesny, Joan Garcia and Pena, only the latter is currently registered and available to play. Ter Stegen is out due to lower back pain, while new signing Garcia and Szczesny remain unregistered because of La Liga’s wage cap restrictions.

The German tactician initially considered leaving Pena in Barcelona to finalise his departure, but has now reversed course and included him in the squad for the upcoming friendlies in and . This shift reflects Barca’s financial and sporting problems: Szczesny’s low salary makes his registration easier, but even that hinges on player exits. Meanwhile, if Ter Stegen is ruled out for more than three months, the club could temporarily remove 80 per cent of his salary from the books and register both Garcia and Marcus Rashford. Until then, Flick is left with limited options and growing uncertainty between the sticks.

Pena was on the verge of leaving the club before being called back, as Ter Stegen’s potential surgery could sideline him for up to four months. In response, the Catalan giants are also considering David Kochen from the reserve team as an emergency backup option.

Barcelona will urgently try to resolve their registration issues before La Liga kicks off. If no players leave, Szczesny and Garcia will remain unavailable, and Flick will have to rely on Pena, whose future at the club remains unclear. Ter Stegen’s medical decision could also shape the team’s early-season squad. For now, Flick is managing a crisis with no guaranteed solutions.