Stay or Go? Eric Garcia’s Future in Football

Young Spanish Centre Back, Eric García has made the headlines recently after turning down a new contract from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and with the world in turmoil, football being no different, let’s see how his future could play out - a return of the prodigal Son to Catalonia? A makeweight in a blockbuster signing or even completing a U Turn and committing to Manchester City, there’s a number of interesting possibilities.

Eric Garcia Captaining the Man City Youth Side

Where else to begin than with some context? A bit of a profile, a look at his situation and a wider examination if City’s squad and their aims. A youth graduate from the famed La Masia academy over in Barcelona, Garcia was bought to Manchester City in 2017 and impressed at underage levels. Immediately donning the captain’s armband for the Under 18s whilst equally playing in youth competitions for the 19s at the ages of 16/17, this is an aspect that can’t be understated and is something he shares in common with now Liverpool ace, Joe Gomez. Such achievements of playing what’s borderline men’s football at such a young age shows a footballing capability beyond the ages of these stars and is likely a good indicator that these players will succeed at a high level when they inevitably make the step up. Circling back to García with that in mind, he has really suffered a lot from the little amount of minutes he‘s seen at City or even elsewhere from a loan spell and is something endemic of Pep’s career as a whole, he’s refined some top prospects at all the clubs he’s took the reigns of but hasn’t ever been capable of fully ‘blooding’ a youngster from the academy set up. Looking at the player though, what is the allure?

Standing at the top end of 5’11”/6’0” exact, he’s perhaps in the mould of Fabio Cannavaro, undersized (somewhat) but compensates with a strong grasp for the fundamentals of the game and its defensive side. The Barcelona DNA in García is incredibly evident, when thinking of Pique for instance, that clip of him juggling the ball away from danger springs to mind immediately, somewhat comedic, it shows how refined a technique the club instils in its players and García shares that trait. One can see in his game against Southampton at the Etihad during the whole ‘project restart’, the centre back has the awareness of the attacking James Ward-Prowse, uses a decent burst of pace to reach the ball over a short distance and then proceeds to shield the ball whilst confusing his opponent with a few feints that create space before recycling possession. Despite his La Masia upbringing though, Garcia is incredibly defensively focused and astute - I must stress here, that is a positive - he’s got the hunger to Harry an opponent and harass them when they hold possession which sets him up for a better opening to commit a slide challenge or flick the ball away via a standing ‘stab’ of the foot. From what he has shown, his talents suggest a player with more experience than 13 league games (to date), overall it feels as though he’s more deserving of a larger role in the squad and his pro active play style really can benefit the team. My main take away from his game is a sense of maturity which does beg the question: how/why has the ball playing centre back ended up in this situation?

Reported in what’s essentially an ageist hit piece by Daniel Davies for Mail Online Football, the contract is apparently a 5 year deal, tying Garcia to the club until the age of 24, and offering a £28,000 pound rise from a rumoured £12k to £40,000 p/w. In the context of the modern game, nay, Manchester City, this offer is practically chumps change and isn‘t too bad of a proposition, which to me suggests the issue comes from elsewhere and is likely related to game time or assurances on that subject. Davies does state in his article that Guardiola and Garcia have a strong relationship which does ring true, both have histories with Barcelona and are natives of the Catalonia region and Garcia would’ve been plying away at youth level whilst the current City manager was working his way up the Blaugrana’s establishment. Regardless of whether they brushed shoulders back in Barcelona, Garcia clearly left an impression on Guardiola and impressed as the manager bough him along to Manchester back in 2017. I don't think it’s too far of a reach to suggest that the player feels disrespected by his measly 13 league involvements and could be interpreted as a lack of faith from the City coaching cell. His talents aren’t shown in fits and spurts and certainly aren’t a fluke by any means, it is a fair statement to suggest that to an extent, the talented defender has had his wings clipped and that a sense of almost desperation caused his surge to the forefront of the squad. Before I continue with this whole piece, it’s worth noting City still hold the player for another season with his current terms expiring at the end of the 20/21 season which will then leave Garcia a free agent. That window does make for a chance at reconciliation and is something I’ll cover later, for now though, lets continue and explore the Catalonian’s possible future destinations.

First on the list is arguably the most interesting, a move back to Catalonia and its institution: FC Barcelona. As it stands, the club is in absolute turmoil, it’s establishment, fronted up by president Josep Bartomeu is falling apart in a raging war of internal politics with the rebels led by captain Messi. The appointment of Koeman doesn’t really inspire me but I’d we assume he’s wanted by the new manager, Garcia does fit the bill of a Koeman-type defender. One who’s a bit more mobile than the current men who occupy that position with the likes of Samuel Umtiti being told he’s surplus to requirements and long term servant Gerard Pique offering himself as sacrifice, there does like an opening on the horizon in the slot of Centre Back for FCB. Looking at the bigger picture, I don’t know if he’s the best acquisition when it comes to both the here and now as well as the bigger picture which is very conflicting. Ultimately I do believe the player is deserving of more game, if not being a guaranteed starter but for both the sake of him and the club, I feel the situation he’d be walking into is too much of a mess and almost needs resolving from a top down sense both ’in front of the camera’ and behind the scenes if you will. If that forward line suffers an exodus as well the team being plucked at one by one from clubs who come to relieve Koeman of his issues then the clubs all but died. Looming at the current players there though, Pique can still perform on a decent level and, if nothing more, can serve as a good mentor to the likes of Lenglet and whoever else could be joining the defensive ranks. Placing Garcia in this squad is interesting, though he likely wouldn’t be playing on a week in/week out basis, the young star would be learning priceless nuggets from some truly accomplished peers and at worst, thanks to his physical make-up and build could provide cover at full back to strengthen that line as a whole. Though that deputising role isn’t an ideal for his development as a whole, it does add another string to his bow in the long term. Historically Barça have an odd relationship with ex players, I don’t know what term best fits: Cannibalistic or Incestuous, perhaps a mix of both. Whether or not it can be ‘labelled’, it’s certainly a point that has been driven by the media, especially here in the UK, it was almost the topic of every other story surrounding the player when Héctor Bellerín burst onto the scene and now seems to be something that follows this young defender too. He does ultimately fit a sort of Carles Puyol build and he’s something the club have sorely missed since his retirement, building Garcia into that player however would require time, at least a couple of seasons to allow him to adjust and become more aggressive as his confidence and aggression grows during the rebuild. Presuming Lenglet stays and the team is started over from scratch, Garcia/Lenglet does mirror, and quite closely, the City partnership he forged with Aymeric Laporte in the closure of the restarted season. Is it the players ideal? I’m sure Garcia dreams of a return to his boyhood club and if his talents are half as good as what they’re touted as them I’m certain he’d almost seamlessly fit into the bill but for now, I think Barcelona need to address a lot of issues before they can even dream of transfers and even then, would need to heavily splash the cash to plug the gaps left by some departing talents.

Leading the Spanish Youth Team

Though this whole piece of essentially conjecture, it’s worth considering how he could fare in the market in a wider sense. In the fallout of Pep’s bombshell reveal, the club named their price for the talent and as reported for BBC Sport thanks to Simon Stone, the Cityzens are asking for a few to meet their valuation of £30 million GBP. It’s more insightful than the offering from the Mail but from this and other reading, it‘s as if Guardiola himself is confused - the article suggests he could receive the Sané treatment as in: being frozen out till a buyer is found yet he’s equally holding out to look for an extension. Generally he’s an asset to the Premier League and outside of Liverpool we don’t really have evidence of a ‘marketable’ defensive star/stars. City are in a bit of a defensive mess (I’ll get to that later) and seeing him develop in the Barclays would be a joy for the the neutral. Generally if we’re to consider leaving the 19 year old to the vultures of the market, I’d struggle to pin down an ideal for him. Staying in the Prem, we can rule out Man Utd immediately. I like the thought of Tottenham grabbing him, Vertonghen has since left the club and Alderweireld has been somewhat flirting with the prospects of pastures new for time now and Mourinho doesn’t really have a fully, solidified defensive starting line. With the Portuguese wanting to solve that issue before it becomes too much an issue, Garcia and Tanganga could give Spurs a nice line up in central defence for the coming decade. It would be nice to charter his progression under a man who’s a defensive expert. A bit left field but still in England would be Everton. It’s been rumoured that the Toffees have intentions of snapping up a centre back and with Fikayo Tomori on the short list, the Spaniard Cityzen could give Everton a neat long term solution they could later bank off in the John Stones fashion. The Continent offers a lot as well, Napoli might snap him up as part of a swap in the departure of Koulibaly and I’m sure many other continental juggernauts have him on the shortlist.

Now’s the time to focus on his current employers, a club who need to make their mind up ASAP on what this window’s priority is, solidifying the base or empty the bank in a move to sign the finest player that football has ever seen. Messi’s possible move is dominating the headlines at the moment and it appears City might offer up a few men to ‘sweeten’ the deal and Garcia is on that list. It’s an odd deal and requires me suspending my disbelief to even humour it. Whilst the youngster can offer a lot of cover and its romantic, let’s be honest. Though it is a long term gain, Koeman and the establishment have a rift and then some to bridge, exacerbating their rebuild.

Playing in the Manchester Rains

So what went wrong in Manchester? If it’s to be boiled down to its simplest form, we need to also consider his one time teammate Leroy Sané In conjunction. Both are undeniable talents and would’ve no doubt been good long term servants, but in these cases it’s hard not to side with the players who’ve genuinely been aggrieved by the City staff. It’s commonly accepted at this point that City’s long term plan was to attract Guardiola after his post-Bayern sabbatical and they’re a good match. He’s somewhat changed his image as a ‘cycle manager’ as they’re still on the quest for European riches but it’s worrying for the future as when the Spaniard does eventually leave, where’s the continuity? The behemoth that is City has chewed up a number of young stars, Garcia included along with the likes of Phillips Sandler for instance who’ve seen nothing in terms of a chance at development and in theory, the club’s future has a sturdy brick wall waiting not too far down the line, they’ll ultimately have their success capped when the hierarchy is freshened and change occurs. That need for immediate results has stunted the progression of some serious A Grade talent and that’s why I made the point of Sané being included in this conversation of Garcia‘s future, is there a point where City no longer become an attractive destination for talent under 23 with a relative amount of experience? and if that does manifest, where does the club go from there?. As I said in Garcia earlier, this calibre of talent is a joy to watch and brings something unique to the League which is ultimately what fans - be them neutral or committed - desire. Contextually, and this is very important, Guardiola has never really been that guy to blood a prospect and guide their career paths, and if that’s your wish, then his long term rival, Jürgen Klopp is the man who fits your bill as he’s found that as an alternative road to success, especially in his tenure at Borussia Dortmund. Back to the Catalonia native, Guardiola, for as much as he lacks in that almost ‘compassion’ sense in regards to developing talent and providing his teams sustainability, has shown a knack for developing exceptional talents, though they‘re typically of a more older age. If you’re after examples then see how he honed Raheem Sterling’s finishing ability and encouraged him to be more ‘ready’ to sprint and attack, how Kimmich has become a multi talented, Captain Material star or how Messi benefitted in many ways from the tutelage of Pep, he can really develop a player though they tend to be more forward thinking as well as further along than Garcia in terms of progression. Surprisingly about this whole debacle, is how slow a reaction the management had in installing Garcia to the defence, a part of the team which has been a mess to say the least. Whilst someone like Foden took a few seasons to fully gain the managers trust, there’s a plethora of issues that are plaguing the base of the team. Goalkeeper: Ederson is a brilliant number one, he suits the desired play style and is a reliable ‘keeper, only he’s not really got any competition. Whilst he doesn’t need anybody breathing down his neck to perform, the team has a tendency to rotate their stopper and there’s no reliable backup option to the Brazilian which I’d worry about, especially as he’s been open to a few injuries and has equally opened himself up to suspensions with his sometimes misguided ’sweeper’ moments that have left their mark when they’ve blown up in his face. Centrally we have the biggest issue. Touching briefly on the full backs, Walker is perhaps approaching his twilight but, and for as big a personality he is, as well as a reliable option across the back line, he’s ultimately not irreplaceable, especially as the modern full back will now typically share his footballing DNA as attack minded, ‘sprinters‘ almost. And on the opposite flank, there is a bit of an odd affair going off, Benjamin Mendy, despite his many injuries, does seem to have the faith of the boss and again, is of that new school full back breed. Oliver Zinchenko has fast become a reliable option after proving his worth though he doesn’t fit the style of his peers in his position or on the right side, he adds an air of calmness and assured the team defensively. So let’s zoom in on the issue, centre back. I think it’s a case of Laporte plus one. The uncapped Frenchman has a great grip and balance of all aspects needed from Pep and his system, an imposing build in both boxes, strong in defence and good on the ball, he’s almost what Stones was once heralded as being, so let’s move onto him. Stones was the original ‘Pep Man’ - everything Laporte has with the promise of changing his nations fortunes and so on, from impressing at Barnsley to calming the fans at Everton, he had a swagger to his younger game which has faded. It’s a genuine tragedy and hasn‘t been this match made in heaven it was promised as, weirdly it’s as if the game has lived past Stones in this position and one could argue it’s a pace thing, ultimately you need the legs to contend with attackers and at times Stones has appeared as slow in all facets of his game. With the Barnsley native not meeting his potential, the same can be equally said for Nicolas Otamendi, a man who’s as reliable as the Lancashire weather. At times solid and others, Capable of a blunder that’d make Phil Jones blush, it’s really head scratching as to how Garcia wasn’t afforded a chance in the line up earlier. Generally though, there is some hope for City fans who are fearing his loss, the Catalonian connection between manager and player can’t be understated and Pep has made it clear he’s holding out to re-sign the star. Whilst on Catalonian connections and once more humouring it, Messi would make things a lot smoother after all, as the Spaniard could boast of his playing days with an icon of the sport. Maybe even if the Barcelona swap happened, it could play to his possible hero complex with player and club benefitting from his commitment as both might see a hike in their fortunes. Ultimately though, it’s a call which falls at the feet of Garcia and his team of people and I’m sure is a saga that’ll be interesting to see.

Just in his grievances and his want to to play more senior minutes, Eric Garcia is a shining light in the World’s game and regardless of where he ultimately ends up, the Spanish underage captain will be an asset to his employers wherever that may be.