Spanish Media: Barcelona Can Already Seek a Replacement for Ter Stegen; Deco Needs to Make a Decision

According to reports from the Spanish newspaper AS, FC Barcelona is facing a tricky situation: how to fill the void left by Ter Stegen after his serious injury. According to Article 77 of La Liga’s regulations, if a club has a player who will be out for at least four months due to an injury, the club can use 80% of the injured player’s salary to sign a new player. However, Barcelona’s options are currently quite limited because, according to the rules, they can only sign players who are currently unemployed or have not been registered to play in any competition yet. This poses a challenge for Deco and his management team, who need to quickly evaluate various options and make a decision.

When discussing whether they should enter the transfer market to find a replacement for Ter Stegen, head coach Flick showed obvious dissatisfaction, saying, “I don’t want to discuss this issue after the game.” Clearly, he was very frustrated about losing another key player. Ter Stegen is not only the team captain but also an important member with rich experience and a long history of service to the club. His absence will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the team.

The sports management department under Deco’s leadership faces several possible choices: one is to immediately enter the transfer market to find a suitable free agent; another is to maintain the status quo and wait until the winter transfer window opens; the third is to not make any signings at all but promote Iñaki Peña as the starting goalkeeper with Astaraga as his substitute.

Ter Stegen plans to undergo surgery in Sweden to treat the patellar tendon injury in his right knee. Preliminary diagnosis shows that this injury does not involve a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. He did not return to Barcelona with the team but stayed in the local hospital to prepare for surgery. It is estimated that he will need seven to nine months to recover. Ter Stegen underwent surgery for a problem with the same knee in 2020 performed by Dr. Ramón Cugat, and in 2021, he received treatment from Dr. Håkan Alfredson in Sweden.