Barcelona turn to La Masia for Ter Stegen’s backup
By Urja Suchak
Barcelona have always had two talented goalkeepers on the payroll for the first team for as long as one can remember. However, since the arrival of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the backup has rarely had anything to do.
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Popularly dubbed “the wall”, Ter Stegen, has made innumerable impressive saves for the Catalans. He has always been the first-choice keeper, and current second goalkeeper, Neto, has had very few games under his belt. It seems ridiculous to pay such huge wages to him just for him to warm the bench.
Undoubtedly, Neto is also a great player between the posts but he doesn’t get enough time on the field with the German keeper always shining. Following the same logic, newly elected President Joan Laporta will look to the La Masia for a backup.
Neto’s predecessor, Jasper Cillessen had left the Nou Camp in search of more regular play-time, and most probably so will the Brazilian stopper. With Barca’s precarious financial situation, it certainly makes sense for Laporta to offload his wages and look within the hierarchy for a replacement.
The young keepers of Barcelona
Currently, the Spanish giants have Inaki Pena and Arnau Tenas who have been excellent for the B team. Pena has been the B team’s first choice for a while and has even been picked as the third choice for the first team sometimes. The 22-year-old has proven himself in the B team and it is definitely a smart business decision to let him be the backup.
Tenas is also a talented youngster and while he was in the U19’s last season, he has proven his talent and abilities just fine. With Neto’s departure in the summer looking inevitable, Barca doesn’t have to worry about signing on anyone new with the in-house options being more than sufficient.
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Do you think Pena will be a good enough backup for Ter Stegen?