Spotlight on Joan Garcia: Espanyol’s Goalkeeper Shines as European Eyes Turn His Way

Current talks are intensifying around Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia, with both Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Unai Emery’s Aston Villa emerging as potential new homes. Bayern Munich, on the hunt for a successor to Manuel Neuer, and Real Madrid, who are closely monitoring one of LaLiga’s brightest young talents, have also taken an interest.

It’s common for newly promoted teams to face tough challenges each week, which can lead to a relentless grind. For clubs stepping up from the second division, with little change to the squad that secured promotion, keeping a clean sheet often seems like an unattainable feat. However, Espanyol bucks that trend this season, having returned to Spain’s top flight and currently sitting comfortably in 13th place with 39 points, well above the relegation zone.

The pursuit of European football is a formidable dream. With Barcelona advancing to the Champions League semi-finals and Athletic Bilbao’s progress in the Europa League securing LaLiga a fifth spot in the Champions League, European and Conference League opportunities are expanding too. Meanwhile, Espanyol finds itself five points adrift of the Conference League qualifying spots.

Nevertheless, the club can reflect positively on its season, having achieved notable victories, including a memorable win against Real Madrid, which disrupted Carlo Ancelotti’s title ambitions.

Youngster Joan Garcia, who has consistently been included in matchday squads, has played a pivotal role in these successes.

The 23-year-old has established himself as the primary goalkeeper for Espanyol, and his impressive form has inevitably drawn attention in the transfer market, with a buy-out clause of €25 million making him a viable target this summer.

While numerous clubs, including Real Madrid, have expressed interest, Arsenal appears particularly keen as they search for competition for David Raya. Similarly, Aston Villa is on the lookout for a worthy challenge for Emiliano Martinez’s position.

A Key Player for Espanyol

This season, Garcia has made 33 appearances for Espanyol, recording seven clean sheets, which notably includes the triumph over Real Madrid at Cornella.

Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid lead the league with the most clean sheets (each with 13), followed by Real Sociedad (12), Barcelona (11), and Athletic Club (11).

Garcia is currently the top shot-stopper in LaLiga, having made 101 saves over 25 matches, averaging 4.27 saves per match. He also leads among all goalkeepers in the top five European leagues.

In Spain, Diego Conde from Villarreal follows with 25 saves from nine games, while Alvaro Valles of Las Palmas ranks next. On an international level, Garcia surpasses Raya (Arsenal) with 24 saves, and leads Thibaut Courtois who owns a save percentage of 78% and Wojciech Szczesny, with a percentage of 66.7%.

Despite his superb performances, he has yet to earn a call-up to the Spanish senior national team.

Garcia is a familiar face among Spain’s youth squads, having participated in last year’s Olympic Games, where Santi Denia’s team triumphed over France to secure a gold medal.

For now, coach Luis de la Fuente has confidently stuck with his usual trio of goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Club) as his first choice, followed by David Raya (Arsenal) and Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad).

From Garcia’s standpoint, he continues to train diligently and capture the attention of both Espanyol supporters and LaLiga followers alike.