EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Arsenal Interested in Manchester City Defender Eric Garcia

About Football Express India - Indian Super League - I-League

Arsenal started their Premier League season well but their recent poor form has left manager Mikel Arteta worrying. He wants to bolster their defence in order to bring stability to his side. Manchester City‘s Eric Garcia has emerged as a potential target for the Gunners.

Garcia, a La Masia graduate, joined City at the age of 17. Then he made his debut in 2019 in the League Cup. He also earned his first Spain National cap this year.

The 19-year-old central defender has told Pep Guardiola that he will not renew his current Manchester City contract. This led to many clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Arsenal enquiring about the young prospect.

Teenager Eric Garcia to Solve Defensive Woes at Arsenal?

Arteta is a huge admirer of the Spanish defender as they worked together at City. Then Arteta took charge of Arsenal last season and still working on his team build up at Emirates. They signed Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille in the summer and he looks like a great signing.

Although Gabriel’s performances were great, his defensive partners haven’t found the rhythm. David Luiz looked solid sometimes but lacked consistency.

Arsenal conceded the fewest goals in the league prior to their game against Aston Villa at home. They conceded 7 goals in 4 games since then. Their good start of the season looks distant as they’re languishing at 15th in the Premier League.

Arteta faced criticism for not being able to sort his team after a year in charge. He stated in public that Arsenal’s defensive issues hinder him to start with his favorite 4-3-3 formation. So the fact that they are linked with Eric is not surprising. However, Arsenal need to offload some defenders from the team to sign the Barcelona linked Garcia.

Eric Garcia Situation and Interest From Other Clubs:

Guardiola played Garcia regularly in the league post-lockdown due to the lack of players available to him. The 6-feet tall defender is a great passer of the ball. He doesn’t lunge into tackles unnecessarily also very good at regaining possession.

But this season, City brought Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake in their squad which put Eric down in the pecking order at Etihad. This reportedly made him unhappy and now wanting to leave the club. Pep confirmed that he doesn’t want to renew his contract at City. But Pep likes him and wants to tie him down for the long term.

Garcia’s parent club Barcelona saw their ¢15m bid rejected in October but are still keen to land him as Gerard Pique suffered an injury. La Liga champions Real Madrid are also interested in the young Spaniard.

Our Take:

Arsenal may need some quality reinforcements at the back, but they already have more than enough centre-backs in the team. Now, Gabriel, Holding, Saliba, Chambers are set to feature for Arsenal in the future, and Sokratis, David Luiz, Mustafi all are expected to leave the club in the next summer. So Arsenal boss Arteta will have to wait to strike a deal for Eric Garcia.

Meanwhile, Eric wants to return to his boyhood club Barcelona. Also, Ronald Koeman is interested in signing him. But amid their financial crisis, Barcelona may not bid higher for the teenager than their last bid.

In the end, we can conclude that Eric Garcia is very likely to leave the Citizens, but his destination is not yet clear. However, Arsenal have their noses in front of the Spanish Giants and may sign the centre-back next summer.

Follow our Twitter page for the latest updates on English Premier League and Indian Football.

To Top