As coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco plan to transfer to Barcelona this summer, none of the positions really need to change immediately. However, the Blaugrana internal board admitted that they have to upgrade their squad if they want to move up to the next level.
There is a sense that certain Barca positions need more depth and competition. Deco told ESPN last month that an area for the team to improve is on the two wings, as Barcelona are too dependent on Yamal and Raphinha.
ESPN has previously reported that a position that the Blaugrana are also looking for a new signing is full-back, although the club now wants to prioritize other signings.
There are also two other positions that Barca have long known they need to strengthen. The first position is the striker, with Robert Lewandowski turning 37 this summer and his contract expiring next year.
Second place, goalkeepers, is not considered urgent, but has become a problem after Ter Stegen's long-term injury in September last year. The loose defense has paid the price for the Catalan team in the later stages of the Champions League.
It has been 9 years since there was any debate about Barcelona's goalkeeper position. In the summer of 2016, Ter Stegen, who had only played in cup competitions for two years, told the club that he had to choose between him and Claudio Bravo. Barca have chosen Ter Stegen, while Bravo has joined Manchester City.
Since then, Jasper Cillessen, Neto, Jordi Masip and more recently Pena have all played as substitutes for Ter Stegen.
All hopes of Pena getting the No. 1 position for a long time have disappeared when Ter Stegen was injured and Barca recruited Szczesny. Pena was still a regular for a while, but was eventually replaced by Szczesny. And according to sources told ESPN, Pena is ready to leave this summer.
Ter Stegen returned earlier than expected after injury and only made two unpopular appearances at the end of last season. However, the Blaugrana had intended that if they found a suitable new goalkeeper, Ter Stegen would have to leave.
Hansi Flick's side have conceded 39 goals in 38 La Liga games last season - more than any other team in the top four. But it is in the Champions League that the importance of an excellent goalkeeper is really clear.
Barcelona have conceded 24 goals in 14 Champions League games, including seven in the semi-final defeat to Inter Milan. In the first leg, the 3-3 draw at Barcelona, Inter had an xG (expected goal) of only 0.84.
In the return match, Inter won 4-3 with an xG of 2.24 compared to Barca's 2.81. The difference lies in Yann Sommer's saves for Inter, not Szczesny's.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Garcia will succeed at Barca. Even when playing excellently at Espanyol, there will still be doubts about Garcia's experience in playing for a team of the stature of Blaugrana. Besides the increased pressure, it was almost a completely different job.
Among the goalkeepers who played more than 10 matches in La Liga last season, Garcia ranked 14th in pass completion: 66.9% (709/1059). Pena (87.6%) and Szczesny (87.5%) ranked first and second in that metric.
The data shows that the majority of the reason is the type of pass that the Espanyol goalkeeper is required to make compared to the Barca goalkeeper, but it also emphasizes that it is a style that Garcia has not tried.
However, in terms of the basic parameters of a goalkeeper, Garcia did very well. That is why Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Bournemouth all want to own this goalkeeper. That was also the reason that prompted Barca to act so quickly.
