Barcelona is going through a long-running internal soap opera. At the beginning of the summer, it was leaked that the club did not count on Marc-André Ter Stegen, and the German goalkeeper made it clear that he did not want to leave Camp Nou. This sparked an internal war in which the German goalkeeper publicly stated that he did not want to leave Barcelona, and the club responded with actions, such as signing Joan García by paying his release clause and renewing Szczesny’s contract for two seasons.
These were two very clear gestures indicating that Ter Stegen was not part of Hansi Flick’s plans for next season. The most striking thing was that at the start of the preseason, the German was training in the gym and later publicly announced that he was going to have back surgery. He claimed he would be out for three months, while the club hinted that it would be four or more so that part of his salary could be used to register new signings. One of the two parties will lose out, but it will be LaLiga’s Medical Committee that will decide how long the former Borussia Mönchengladbach player will be out of action.
Support for Ter Stegen
In recent hours, during Barcelona’s Asian tour, several teammates have come out in defense of Marc-André Ter Stegen, as many fans criticize the goalkeeper’s attitude, but others believe he is being harshly attacked by the Blaugrana club. “For me, he is the captain of the team, just as he was last season. He is a world-class player and has been for many years, giving his best to the club, and I support him a lot,“ said Frenkie de Jong about the German.
Ferran Torres, who scored two goals in the 3-7 victory over FC Seoul, also spoke to the media about the goalkeeper’s situation. ”I don’t know if there will be a vote or not, we haven’t talked about it, or at least I’m not aware of it. But, just because of his experience and the number of years he’s been here, I think Ter Stegen will be captain,” said the Valencian striker. As reported in recent days, the Barcelona dressing room will once again have the decision to choose the players who will wear the armband, although it was expected that Hansi Flick would be able to choose himself in order to take it away from his compatriot.
Players remain on the sidelines
Throughout this Asian tour, other players have also appeared before the media without saying too much. “Ter Stegen is not with us right now and it’s not something we’re discussing. We know it’s a difficult situation for him, as a teammate and as a person,” began Jules Koundé, who will renew his contract after returning to Barcelona. “The question of the captain is not for me, it’s for the coach and whatever the club wants to do,” said the French defender.
Eric García also spoke about Ter Stegen’s situation and was one of the first to be asked about it. “The question of whether there will be a vote or not is up to the coach. I guess when we get back to Barcelona we’ll talk about it. Last year it was by vote and this year I don’t know how it will be, so let’s wait until we get back and see,“ said the Catalan defender. On the other hand, it was Hansi Flick himself who said a few days ago that ”the team always decides the captains“ and set a deadline of ”two weeks before the start of the season.”