Why Marc-André Ter Stegen should accept that his Barcelona career is over

The situation which seems to have struck Marc-André Ter Stegen of Barcelona is not new in terms of functioning of football as a company.

Once a club decides that a member of the game staff is surplus to the requirements, there is rarely a path in the team, not to mention the departure XI.

Ter Stegen’s figures before his injury were good

As captain of the club, the case of German is probably a little more surprising, especially since it did not seem to warn that Barça was looking elsewhere.

Wojciech Szczesny had been a capable replacement if not perfect for Ter Stegen during the months he was out of the team with an injury, and the idea that the latter would be reinstalled like the n ° 1 after the injury was not baseless.

With 100% precision of the goalkeeper’s sweeper, only 27 goals conceded and a saving percentage of 73.5% in 2023/24, there was no reason why Ter Stegen thinks that it could be replaced.

He would simply return and have the Polish international as his competent assistant.

For reasons that have still not been fully explained and could lead to conclusions that the German coach of Barça, Hansi Flick, has problems with his compatriot, during the summer, the club did everything to land the former target of Arsenal Joan Garcia.

Garcia was the best laliga goalkeeper in 2024/25

The 24 -year -old was acquired from City Rivals, in Espanyol, in itself a courageous decision for a goalkeeper who was considered by many as the best in Laliga in 2024/25.

His percentage of stops of 73.7% (from 146 stops) was the highest of all the guards, and his precision as a goalkeeper was 95% (19 who succeeded 20 attempts).

There is also the question of projection and age, of course.

Ter Stegen has years of experience and has won several titles with the Catalans, including their last title of the Champions League in 2015.

He is now 33 years old and his cycle at the club completed the loop. Above the same age as Garcia, Ter Stegen was trying to usurp the oldest and most experienced of Claudio Bravo and, in the end, that’s exactly what happened.

So expecting that it is treated differently when he is the older statesman is a little rich.

Broadside from Lothar Matthaus to Ter Stegen

Even the German legend of football Lothar Matthaus actually told Ter Stegen to leave.

“In my opinion, Ter Stegen will no longer play for Barça. He must play to realize his dream of participating in the World Cup; If he wants to play in the World Cup, he should leave, ” It was said to be saying.

“I understand that he performed well, was a team captain and has his life in Barcelona, but he must accept his fate now. The club has other ideas and different plans.

“These are decisions that must be accepted; it is not necessary to complain, because it is part of football. There is nothing and no one bigger than the club.”

Szczesny happy to play in the second violin

Szczesny is even older at 35, however, it is suspected that he will be happier than Ter Stegen to play the second violin of Garcia. Indeed, the signing of a new two -year agreement simply highlights this position.

So what is the next step for German? Currently, all reports show him heels and fighting for his place.

In doing so, he could cause the club’s ability to record Garcia and other players who could be interesting.

Indeed, his annual salary of 6.3 million euros is considered prohibitive while Barça seeks to withdraw more financial problems.

If Ter Stegen wanted a clearer indication than the club considers that his future is also elsewhere, he would have found it immediately on his return to the training of pre-season, where he worked alone, far from the main group.

Could Galatasaray come to the rescue of Ter Stegen?

Inaki Pena, who had covered for German with Aplomb during periods of previous injury, remains at the club, but would be open to the situation due to the current situation.

Reports in Türkiye suggest that Galatasaray is preparing to offer Ter Stegen an increase in his current salary at 8 million euros per year, although there is no indication that German is in mood to accept.

Manchester United, known for looking for a goalkeeper to replace Andre Onana or at least give him a race for his money, are also mentioned by passing as potential contenders, while Inter’s apparent interest seems to be nothing more than rumor at this stage.

During a year of the World Cup, it is a very dangerous game of BrinksManship for the Germans to play.

Problem of attitude behind the club’s decision

While his anger in the way he was treated is completely understandable, it seems clearly clear that the decision has been made, and the Barça hierarchy and management team is not to turn.

Even more due to the attitude of the goalkeeper on his return to the first team team after his injury last season.

If anything, a failure to address the crowd, as it is usual at the end of the season, especially in a winning campaign of the title, is one of the reasons why the club now thinks that Ter Stegen is not the right man for the captain, not to mention the n ° 1 jersey.