- Garcia keeps clean sheet on debut
- Barcelona preparing for league clash
- Ter Stegen registration problem resolved
Barcelona’s pre-season preparations were overshadowed by a public standoff with one of their most senior figures. Ter Stegen’s refusal to authorise the release of his post-surgery medical report to La Liga sparked disciplinary action and saw him briefly stripped of the captain’s armband. Barca needed his signature on the report to prove to La Liga that he will be out for more than three months, allowing the club to free up 80 per cent of his salary which could be used to register their new first choice goalkeeper, Garcia.
Thatdispute has now been settled, with the German shot stopper and captain gicing permission for the report to be submitted and urging the club to “look forward” as he addressed the fans after the 5-0 win against Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy match on Sunday. While Garcia has not yet been registered, the new signing says he has been assured that all will be taken care of ahead of their opening game of the new La Liga season on Saturday.
“I felt very comfortable. And with a win, that always helps. I’m very happy,” the Spanish goalkeeper told Esport3. “I was looking forward to the presentation. We’re all looking forward to going to Camp Nou, but it was here [at the Johan Cruyff Stadium] and it was also good. I’m satisfied.”
On the ongoing wait for his La Liga registration, he added: “The club and those around me reassure me that everything will turn out well. I really can’t do anything. I can only focus on my own things and hope that everything turns out well.”
When he was asked about the recent controversy with Ter Stegen, Garcia emphasised that “there is no problem in the locker room. Ter Stegen is the captain, we respect him a lot, and it seems that everything has been resolved with the club, so there are no problems.”
With his debut behind him, Garcia’s immediate goal is securing full registration before the La Liga opener against Mallorca. Hansi Flick’s side will return to the Camp Nou later in the season once redevelopment work is complete.
