Why did Juan Garcia become Barcelona goalkeeper s first choice

Let's have a good chat today about this highly anticipated goalkeeper - Juan Garcia! This young man, the final destination is neither Manchester City nor Arsenal, but Barcelona! Look, according to Spanish media reports, the Espanyol goalkeeper has agreed to join the Camp Nou, which is really important news!

But, this question arises, why did Barcelona choose a goalkeeper who is almost relegated from La Liga? Think about it, the neighbor Barcelona won the domestic league treble with the achievements of the La Liga, the King's Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. This is a supreme honor! As for Espanyol, they were almost relegated last season. They were able to relegate thrillingly only after defeating Las Palmas 2-0 in the last round. The difference in the team's performance is a world of difference!

Despite the poor performance of the team, Juan Garcia still had a wonderful season. This young man is really a "hero in troubled times"! Although Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak won the 2024/25 La Liga goalkeeper Zamora Award, Juan Garcia is really at the top of the list in terms of data! With 146 saves, he became the goalkeeper with the most saves in La Liga, far ahead of Sergio Herrera (Osasuna, 132) and Marco Dmitrovic (Leganes, 104). The number of saves is amazing!

In addition, he is also the goalkeeper with the most saves in the penalty area (88 times) and shots outside the penalty area (54 times). This shows that his save range is quite wide, and he can easily resolve danger no matter how far or near it.

Last season in La Liga, Juan Garcia's save rate was as high as 74%, ranking third, and this data is really impressive. However, his average of 3.84 saves per game is the best in La Liga! What does this mean? This shows that his workload is really huge, but he did it very well! In addition, the 24-year-old saved 2 of the six penalty spots that Espanyol lost last season, with a save rate of 33.3%, second only to Paul Gazaniga (Gerona, 60%) and Jasper Cilesen (Las Palmas, 37.5%). This ability to save the penalty kick is also quite outstanding!

It is also possible. Juan Garcia conceded 51 goals in 38 rounds of the 2024/25 La Liga, but this number is actually only on par with Villarreal and less than Celta Vigo (57 goals), and both teams are qualified for next season's European Cup! This shows that his personal performance is quite outstanding when the team's overall defense is not good. In particular, according to statistics, his save helped Espanyol reduce 7.5 goals conceded based on the opponent's expected goals (xG). This means that without this goalkeeper, the "Parrots" might have to struggle to return to the Spanish Second Division. This young man is simply the "savior" of Espanyol!

These data clearly illustrate why Barcelona is so eager for the goalkeeper of the team that was on the verge of relegation. These data also explain why both Arsenal and Manchester City want to sign Joan Garcia to compete for a position with top goalkeepers like David Raya and Ederson. But for Barcelona, ​​it was cruel to Espanyol that the goalkeeper finally decided to transfer to the other side of the city and join Barcelona. This football is like this, some people are happy and some are worried!