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- 51 minutes ago
Barcelona signing SLAMMED by ex-teammate
Tom Weber
- Updated: 6 Sept 2025 10:48 BST
- 5 min read
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Espanyol captain Javi Puado has been critical of Joan Garcia's decision to join 'eternal rivals' Barcelona this summer.
The former Spanish youth international crossed the city divide in the early stages of the transfer window in a move that came as quite a shock on many different levels.
For one, it had been expected that Garcia's future would lie in the Premier League, with Arsenal chasing a deal for the 24-year-old for a year. Man Utd and Newcastle were reportedly also in the frame to sign him.
Current ETV
Joan García
GK
Barcelona
Joan García
GK
Barcelona
ETV Range
€23M - €28.1M
Then, there was the fact that Barcelona ostensibly didn't really need Garcia. To be sure, he is undoubtedly an upgrade on their other options, but his signing caused a massive row with former No.1 and captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, who has been relegated to third choice.
Finally, there was the emotional angle, with Garcia having come through the academy of Espanyol. A move to a big Premier League side would have been much more palatable to the club and the supporters than one to their hated neighbours.
Puado: I would never join Barcelona
Speaking to RAC 1, Espanyol captain Javi Puado has now been critical of Garcia's decision to join Barcelona, insisting that it would have been more acceptable to join a different club.
"No, I wouldn't leave [if I received an offer from Barcelona]. For no reason. With a really good offer? I hope I don't get the offer, but no. I'm at Espanyol, the club that has given me everything.
"I think 100 per cent I wouldn't leave. But the thing is, I haven't received it. And I don't think I will, and that's for the best. If Barca wants you, it's likely that another good team also wants you. I'm telling you what I feel right now, you know? What I feel right now is that I wouldn't leave.
"It's clear that leaving for your eternal rival doesn't feel good, but it's the player's decision. In the end, the player does what he believes is best for his professional career, for his family, and to try to make a career in football.
"Joan Garcia considered that leaving, in this case for Barca, was the best option, and that's it. In the end, I don't think we need to dwell on it any further because it no longer affects us.
"I didn't tell Joan, 'no, don't go to Barca, go to another team.' In the end, it's his decision, and he makes the decision he believes is the best for his sporting life and for his family, and we can't get into that.
"I wish he had stayed with us all year and all his life. Well, it's clear that if he had to leave, it would have been better to go to another team, yes, but he decided on Barca. It is what it is."
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