‘Garcia listened to Pep – now I want him to hear us out’
ONE of the frontrunners to become the next president of FC Barcelona wants Eric Garcia’s potential return to be a statement of intent from the La Liga side.
Barcelona will hold elections this month to replace former president Josep Bartomeu and the club board after they resigned last year. With plenty of issues on and off the field, the new president will have their hands full to restore the club to where supporters want it to be.
Victor Font, one of the favourites to win the election, says bringing through more young talents from the La Masia academy will be crucial to Barcelona’s future success - and he doesn’t want a repeat of Garcia’s exit to Manchester City.
Garcia left La Masia for the City Football Academy in 2016, and has gone on to break into the City first team squad in the last two seasons. However, the talented Spaniard has told City he won’t sign a new contract extension, and Barcelona want him to return.
Reports this week have suggested that Garcia and Barcelona have agreed personal terms on a longterm contract – he is allowed to enter into talks as he is in the final six months of his City deal. If Barcelona want to sign him this month, though, they would have to meet City’s asking price.
Regardless of when Garcia returns to the Nou Camp, Font says he wants the signing to be a signal of intent from Barcelona, pointing to the role Pep Guardiola played in tempting the defender away.
He told BarcaUniversal: “The lack of a project with the right vision has created these problems. Players like Eric Garcia, now the club wants him to come back, which is great news, but he should have been retained.
“He left just because he did not believe in the future of opportunities within Barca. Pep Guardiola came
and sold him the idea of a bright future at Manchester City, he believed him, and that’s what we need.
“Betting on La Masia is absolutely vital for Barcelona because of three reasons: 1. Youngsters are trained around our style, 2. The club saves a lot of money, and 3. These are Barca fans, so their level of commitment is greater than any signing from outside.”
Font also discussed the future of Lionel Messi, who is out of contract himself in the summer.
The candidate said he hasn’t spoken to Messi, with City waiting to sign him if he becomes available, but naturally wants the Argentine to remain at Barca.
He explained: “He obviously knows what’s cooking. As a huge Barca fan, he knows who has a project, who has which ideas. The tension is that the sports organisation we build would like to retain the best player in the world.
“He is the best player in the history of the sport. I am sure he can still play, maybe even adapt his role on the pitch for a few years. We want to retain that talent. And even later on, when he retires, the association prevails for many, many years.”