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Earlier this month, reports suggested strong interest from European giants Olympique Marseille in two of Barcelona’s out-of-favour centre-backs.
Clement Lenglet and Eric Garcia were the two defenders in question, and their sale made sense from Barcelona’s point of view considering the gross surplus in resources at centre-back.
According to an update from Mundo Deportivo, Garcia talked to Xavi Hernandez after hearing rumours of his departure being on the club’s agenda.
The Spaniard was worried about the development as he wishes to stay in Catalonia next season.
Xavi assures his trust in Garcia
The manager, however, reassured him that he would stay at the club for the 2023-24 campaign unless an irresistible offer arrived.
Heading into the new campaign, the La Masia graduate finds himself to be the fifth-choice centre-back in the manager’s plans.
Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Inigo Martinez all stake a higher claim for a starting spot.
Keeping in mind the fierce competition in central defence, Xavi tried to use the youngster as a pivot towards the end of the last campaign.
However, his experiments did not bear much fruit. The defensive midfield too, thus, remains a difficult area for Garcia to venture into.
Xavi’s decision to stick with the Spanish international hence comes as a surprising development.
Barcelona are currently in desperate need of player sales from the first team, and Garcia would have generated a decent fee.
The 22-year-old played 45 minutes in Barcelona’s recent preseason friendly against Arsenal, completing 93% of his passes, four long balls, and recording four defensive actions in the process.
His style of play is arguably the quality Xavi values the most, and it remains to be seen if he makes use of the manager’s faith in the upcoming season.
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