Marc-André Ter Stegen's serious injury forced FC Barcelona to look for a goalkeeper on the market. Wojciech Szczesny 'took up' his gloves and took on the challenge of covering for the German's absence in the Barça goal, but the reality is that the Pole is only a 'patch' for the rest of the season and the club's sporting management has already begun to look to the future.
Iñaki Peña has settled in between the posts with meritorious performances that have vindicated him in his role as 'second sword' to the German goalkeeper, while the Warsaw native will continue to wait for his opportunity from the bench. However, Deco has set the machinery in motion to find the ideal future replacement for Marc-André who will return at 33 years old and with an extensive history of injuries behind him.
The alternatives of the 'house'
The priority for the Portuguese manager is to lower the age range in goal, so the Blaugranas 'comb' the market without losing sight of La Masia. In the youth team, Ander Astralaga (2004) and Diego Kochen (2006) are presented as two great bets for the years to come. Both are regulars in Hansi Flick's squads and have been combining their position in the reserve team with the first team for months now.
In addition, names such as Aaron Yaakobishvili (2006) and Iker Rodríguez, from the Juvenil B, have also been 'pushing the door' for some time, although with less force than those mentioned above. Deco wants to closely monitor the minutes that the goalkeepers have from now until the end of the season to clarify the diagnosis and analyze the option of entering the market.
Goalkeepers on offer
If he goes down this route, the sporting director is also monitoring several young goalkeepers from the major European leagues. Mio Backhaus (2004), from Werder Bremen, and Guillaume Restes (2005), a starter at Toulouse, are two who have been under surveillance for months.
Also on the agenda are Bart Verbruggen (2002), from Brighton, and Diogo Costa (1999) from Porto, although the arrival of the latter is practically unfeasible due to the financial demands of the Portuguese and the interest of Manchester City.