Why Losing Eric Garcia Will Be A Huge Loss For Manchester City

If you have betted in favor of Eric Garcia leaving Manchester City at an online kaszinó, then the likelihood of a large payday for you looms large. Pep Guardiola has come out saying that Garcia has notified him of his unwillingness to extend his stay in Manchester. FC Barcelona seems to be the obvious destination of the former La Masia cadet.

How Good Was Garcia Playing For City?

In a season ridden with defensive woes for Man City, Eric Garcia was a breath of fresh air. In his 13 league outings for the Citizens this season, the 19-year-old has returned 8 clean-sheets. He was enjoying a fine run of form after the Premier League restart, and saw himself establishing himself as a regular starter over the likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.
The pairing of Aymeric Laporte and Eric Garcia has imposed a sense of reliability in the Manchester City backline. The same couldn’t be said when Laporte partnered up with Stones, Otamendi, or Fernandinho. City’s defensive vulnerabilities were apparent when Laporte was sidelined with injury and they were shipping goals at a rate far worse than ideal for a team of City’s stature. 
Manchester City’s 2-3 loss to relegated Norwich City earlier this season portrays how poor the six time English champions had been this season. Stones and Otamendi put together a defensive horror show as the Carrow Road relished a landmark victory for their side. It was a result that would have made one rich, had they put their money on it.
With Garcia, the defense looked far more organized. The chemistry between and him and Laporte had glimpsed the beginning of a solid partnership with longstanding success.

Who Wants Him?

However, the young Spaniard has made his intentions known that he wants to move on. The reason behind this decision is not clear. Perhaps, he was skeptical of cementing a starting position in the team. Or maybe, he feels homesick and wants to return to his native country.
If that’s the case, then FC Barcelona could be the ideal destination for him. The Catalans have suffered profoundly this season because of their underperforming defense.  Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid took advantage of this situation and snatched the La Liga title away from them. The Blaugrana would be desperate to fix their failing defense before the new season starts.
Recurrent injuries have taken its toll on Samuel Umtiti. The French defender had been a wall for the Catalonians during his prime, but repeated injuries have compromised his abilities to a substantial degree. Gerard Pique, who was a world class defender back in the days, has also become error prone as he moves further north of the 30-year milestone.
That leaves Clemet Lenglet with the only in-form centre-back in the current Barca setup. So, Barcelona are in dire need of a new centre-back to fortify their defense.  Eric Garcia fits their profile perfectly.
Garcia, however, does have options. Reports suggest European giants PSG, Bayern Munich, and Juventus are monitoring the situation and are willing to make a move for him. City have slapped a £30m on the defender, whose deal expires at the end of next season.
£30m might sound like a lot of money for a player who lacks experience and has only a year left on his contract. But, the availability of multiple suitors have allowed Manchester City to demand a hefty price for the highly rated youngster.

Why Losing Garcia Would Be A Big Loss For City

The ramifications of losing Garcia could be worth way more than the money City wants for him. He has shown exceptional maturity at this age, which signals that he could develop as one of the best defenders of his generation. It’s still early days to tell, but the signs are already there.
The Spain youth international was brought to City in 2017. Over the past few years, he has gone through rapid development and made himself ready for first team action. Of course, he has his weaknesses. He is not the fastest player on the pitch and lacks command in aerial situations. However, his ball playing abilities and decision making has proved to be excellent.
City can always replace him with new recruitments. The arrival of Nathan Ake for £41m from Bournemouth has already been announced. The club is also in talks with Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly. Both of these players are far more experienced than Garcia and are capable of making an immediate impact.
But, they will not have the in-depth knowledge of the club as Garcia. Manchester City needs players who are familiar with the club’s identity and in Garcia, they are losing one.