Wishing bad for someone can come back and bite you when you expect it the least. That is what FC Barcelona fans have learned over the last 3-4 days. In FC Barcelona’s match against Villarreal last night, the Catalan outfit managed to get the better of the Yellow Submarine by scoring 5 past them and conceding only 1. But it could have been much worse for Barcelona if not for their saviour between the sticks, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
The German Goalkeeper was his prime self on Sunday as he kept saving everything the Villarreal forwards shot at him allowing only one to slip past him. Apart from that unsavable shot, Ter Stegen made 3 incredible saves in the duration of the 1st half. If not for him, the Blaugrana could easily have been 2 or 3 down. But in the process, the newly promoted German no.1 suffered a heartbreaking injury. It’s very saddening that Ter Stegen, a player whom everyone hated after his disaster class in the Monaco game, suffered an injury just when he was hitting his best form of the season.
Recent reports have stated that it is an injury to the Patellar Tendon and that FC Barcelona’s number 1 choice keeper might miss out on 7-9 months of footballing action. This would mean that Ter Stegen will miss the entire remainder of the 2024/25 season for FC Barcelona. This would allow FC Barcelona to sign a Goalkeeper who is either a free agent or not first choice at any club for the remainder of the season up until Ter Stegen come back from his Injury.
So let’s look at 3 candidates who could replace Ter Stegen at FC Barcelona, this season, and beyond.
1. Inaki Pena – The Homegrown Ter Stegen Replacement
Here’s the thing, whenever FC Barcelona looks troubled or in any kind of crisis, they always look at La Masia. It is their famed club academy that always finds gems and nurtures them to the point where they are no less than world-class players. During the economic crisis the club was suffering through, it was La Masia graduates who helped the club. And now, when the club is in crisis again. It might be yet another La Masia graduate, Inaki Pena, who might step up to do the job. But truth be told, Inaki Pena hasn’t impressed much whenever given the chance to impress.
Last season:
Ter Stegen🧤:
▪ 36 matches
▪ 37 goals conceded
Inaki Peña🧤:
▪ 17 matches
▪ 32 goals conceded
2. Wojciech Szczęsny- The Short Term Ter Stegen Replacement
The Polish international recently retired from football after serving Juventus for a few seasons. The 34-year-old though, could come back to playing football if a top club like FC Barcelona want his services for a short period of time. Wojciech Szczęsny, who just so happens to be Robert Lewandowski’s teammate with the Polish team could be convinced by the Captain to join Barcelona. While this would definitely be a short-term replacement.
3. Bart Verbruggen- The Long-Term Ter Stegen Replacement
The Dutch Goalkeeper is only 22-years-old. And his young age means that time is on his side. The Brighton and Hove Albion keeper has qualities similar to Ter Stegen when on the ball and is even a quality shot-stopper between the sticks. Moreover, the style of play at his club, Brighton is quite similar to the way Barcelona play out from the back. Above all, he can fit into the Barcelona role quite well and act as an understudy when Ter Stegen comes back from his injury, eventually taking over from the German.
Who out of the three goalkeeper replacements listed above would do a good job at Barcelona? Let us know in the comments below.
