Pep Guardiola was on the lookout for a goalkeeper who could pass with his feet in the summer, with prime target being Marc-Andre ter Stegen, before settling for the other Barcelona goalkeeper
Once it was obvious that Manchesster City’s long-serving goalkeeper, Joe Hart, wasn’t compatible with the type of footballing philosphy Pep Guardiola wanted to implement at Manchester City, the club’s top management began a frantic search for a goalkeeper with the right profile.
One of the goalkeepers linked predominantly with the Manchester-based club during the summer transfer window was German goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who’s not only a good shot-stopper but also excellent with the ball at his feet, making him an ideal candidate for Pep Guardiola.
Considering ter Stegen’s reported unhappiness over playing time at Barcelona, it did seem once the transfer might be on the cards.
The rumours have been proved to be true now, after Pep Guardiola revealed in a press conference that the club did talk with the 24-year-old goalkeeper and Barcelona for a transfer, but the keeper eventually decided to stay at Nou Camp and thus City went on to sign fellow goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Speaking in a presser ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League group-stage clash against the Catalan giants at Camp Nou, Pep said, “For Ter Stegen I knew that he wanted to play all the time. We got in touch. He wasn’t happy with his situation. We needed a goalkeeper like Claudio or Ter Stegen. In the end, Claudio came and Ter Stegen decided to stay.”
Guardiola also clarified Mundo Deportivo‘s sensational report that suggested Pep tried to lure Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Sergio Busquets in the summer was totally false. The Manchester City boss insisted he never tried to contact any of his former players at Barcelona.
Will be interesting to know what Claudio Bravo would make of these comments as he has had an uneasy start to life at Manchester. However, he sure will be hoping to put all that behind and be at his best when he faces his former team.
