FC Barcelona Director Deco Fires Shade At Ter Stegen

Forbes

4 hours ago

FC Barcelona Sporting Director Deco fired shade at captain and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen by ... More telling La Vanguardia: "I don't have to talk to him."
FC Barcelona Sporting Director Deco fired shade at captain and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen by telling La Vanguardia: 'I don't have to talk to him.'
The German was reported by SPORT as wanting answers from the club because of what his camp believes to be a smear campaign in the local media.
This came at a time when Barca was linked to Espanyol shotstopper Joan Garcia, and rumors spread that Ter Stegen would be forced out of his Camp Nou home of 11 years.
'No one has told me about this, so I don't know the situation,' Ter Stegen said while on international duty with Germany, when asked about possibly being moved on.
'I'm not worried. I know that I will be at Barcelona next year… If I remember correctly, and if no news has happened in the last few hours, we only have two goalkeepers for next season, Inaki [Pena]
Since then, Garcia has indeed been purchased by Barca through paying his release clause, officially announced and then offered a six-year deal which he penned at the Joan Gamper CT.
Showdown talks between Ter Stegen and the club don't seem to have been held just yet. And according to Deco, he doesn't owe the veteran any explanation.
'I don't have to talk to him. My obligation is to make the best possible team for the coach. This is not my business. In addition to that, there is no contract in which it says that you are going to play. From here it is the coach who makes his decisions and each player then has his ambitions,' Deco told La Vanguardia.
That being said, Deco insisted that he won't force Ter Stegen out of the club. 'We made a decision to sign a young goalkeeper, which means he can play tomorrow or be on the bench or play in a year or two. We have expectations with Joan that then have to be fulfilled. Everyone who enters here starts from scratch, none arrives with an advantage over the others,' the Portuguese stated.
'I have great respect for Marc, but with Joan we had to make a decision for the present and the future. The coach, therefore, will have to decide. When a footballer really wants to leave, it's very difficult for you to stop him. But this is not an issue at the moment,' Deco then insisted.
Ter Stegen's FC Barcelona days might still be numbered.
Despite Deco's remarks, Ter Stegen's FC Barcelona days might still be numbered. In a season which ends with the 2026 World Cup, it is doubtful he will want to sit on the bench while other German positional rivals are playing regularly with their clubs.