Barcelona are expected to finalise the signing of Joan Garcia in the coming weeks, with the 24-year-old having agreed to the move. And ahead of its completion, he has now received a message from a possible future international teammate.
Garcia narrowly missed out on being called up to the Spain squad for the UEFA Nations League finals, with head coach Luis de la Fuente deciding to go for the tried-and-tested trio of Unai Simon, David Raya and Alex Remiro. But soon, the Espanyol goalkeeper is expected to break into the La Roja setup.
And when he does, he is likely to be teammates with Simon, who is Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper. And the Athletic Club man discussed Garcia when he spoke to the media this week, as per MD.
“I think he’s a very good guy and he’s one of those people who you’re happy to succeed. He has played very well and, if this year he has to leave Espanyol, hopefully he will have a good team where he can play, where he can get minutes and training. I didn’t tell him, but from here I wanted to congratulate him on the season he has had. He has been extraordinary at Espanyol.”
Simon gives advice to Garcia ahead of Barcelona move
Simon also provided Garcia with some important advice ahead of making the move to Barcelona, where he will encounter a lot more scrutiny and pressure than he has been used to at Espanyol.
“You have to assimilate the responsibility that falls to you at all times. If you get the opportunity in a big team, whether it’s Newcastle or the other teams that are talked about, you have to take it with confidence and solvency.”
There is a lot of excitement among Barcelona supporters for Garcia’s expected arrival, and many will expect him to succeed Simon as Spain’s no.1 in the future – provided that he continues performing at a high level.
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