Arsenal target Joan Garcia has received some glowing, albeit slightly odd, praise from his head coach.
The Espanyol star is the Gunners’ top target to belatedly replace Aaron Ramsdale. Arsenal had already wanted to sign Garcia last summer when Ramsdale moved to Southampton, but they failed to reach an agreement with his club.
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Indeed, the North London giants are considered the favourites to finally secure his signature, with the 23-year-old fully expected to leave this summer. His form in LaLiga hasn’t gone unnoticed, though, and Man Utd are also interested in striking a deal for him.
Whatever the case, it is clear that his next club will have a real gem on their hands. Garcia was part of the Spain squad that won gold at the Olympics in the summer and he has been one of the standout goalkeepers in LaLiga this term.
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Garcia the ‘Messi of goalkeepers’
Such has been Garcia’s impact this season that Espanyol coach Manolo Gonzalez has now, strangely, compared him to none other than Lionel Messi, who previously played for city rivals Barcelona.
“We have a goalkeeper who makes a difference,” Gonzalez said after Garcia kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Getafe on Friday. “This is like when Barça had Messi. He’s going to be a world reference, and I’m happy for him as a professional and as a person.”
Garcia himself previously spoke about a potential departure from Espanyol in the summer. “At the moment, I’m not thinking about it, but you never know,” he told Tiempo de Espanyol in February.
“If it happens, let it happen in the best way. If in the end it turns out that I have to leave, how can I not say goodbye properly? Espanyol is the club that has given me everything. If I left through the back door, it wouldn’t go well for me.”
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