Barcelona Sporting Director Deco planning for future of goalkeeping position – Wojciech Szczesny future clear | OneFootball

Barcelona moved swiftly to bring in Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny this month, following an injury to Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s knee which might keep him out for the rest of the season. Surprisingly, it is Inaki Pena that has responded in recent weeks, but Sporting Director Deco is already planning for a future beyond ter Stegen.

Despite their intentions to extend the contract of Inaki Pena, Deco is keen to ensure the position is well-covered going forward, with ter Stegen undergoing a third surgery in four seasons, and turning 33 next year. He is looking at in-house options, and Inaki Pena will have a chance to prove himself in the coming months. Szczesny will only remain at the club beyond the end of the season if he sees a clear path to a starting spot next season, and he will retire again if that is not the case.

Youngsters Diego Kochen and Ander Astralaga are considered strong talents, but Deco feels that they need minutes to develop, something that occupying the third-choice in the first team deprives them of. Meanwhile another promise, Aron Yaakobishvili, is generally the one to miss out for Barca Atletic. Barcelona decided to hold onto Yaakobishvili this summer with an offer on the table from Portugal, but the teenager, like Deco, feels he needs minutes to develop.

According to Relevo, Deco is also monitoring four goalkeepers closely. Two of them are more established, in Diogo Costa at Porto and of Portugal, and Bart Verbruggen at Brighton and Hove Albion. Two of them are younger options, with Toulouse’s Guillaume Restes and Werder Bremen’s Mio Backhaus also being watched.

Other reporting has noted that Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier is also a name they are scouting. Costa and Verbruggen would be a long way from cheap, and given Barcelona’s financial struggles, they might be forced to look more long-term. Deco must decide if Backhaus or Restes are better prospects than Kochen, Astralaga, Pena or Yaakobishvili.