Reigning La Liga champions FC Barcelona are facing a critical goalkeeping crisis just a week before their season opener against RCD Mallorca on August 16th. The club is yet to register its intended first-choice and backup goalkeepers, leaving the team in a precarious position and potentially forcing them to rely on a B-team player for the crucial first match.
The situation stems from the club’s ongoing struggles to comply with La Liga’s financial fair play regulations. As of today, Barcelona has been unable to register new signings, including goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was brought in to be the new number one, and his experienced backup, Wojciech Szczęsny, who recently signed a new contract. The registration delay also affects other new arrivals like forward Marcus Rashford and youngster Roony Bardghji, as well as Gerard Martin, who has a new contract.
The club’s financial woes have led them to seek solutions through a new audit by Crowe Spain and the sale of VIP boxes at the Camp Nou. However, the final report from the audit is still pending, causing a delay in the registration process until at least next week. While the club remains confident that the issue will be resolved before the Mallorca match, the clock is ticking.
Compounding the crisis is a deepening conflict with long-serving goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. The German international, currently sidelined with an injury, has been stripped of his captaincy following a dispute with the club’s management. This internal turmoil effectively rules him out as a temporary solution.
With the intended top two goalkeepers unregistered and the former number one in open conflict with the board, the only currently registered senior goalkeeper is Iñaki Peña. However, the club is actively looking to sell Peña, with FC Como reportedly interested. This leaves the very real possibility that 19-year-old Diego Kochen from the B-team could be handed a starting role in the opening match of the season.
The confluence of financial constraints, registration delays, and internal disputes has cast a significant shadow over Barcelona’s title defense before a ball has even been kicked. The coming days will be crucial in determining whether the Blaugrana can resolve their goalkeeping dilemma and field a competitive lineup for their first La Liga fixture.