
The confrontation between Barcelona and this German goalkeeper continues. Previously, Barcelona tried to force Ter Stegen to find another club, but he firmly refused, insisting on staying in the team as the starter and deciding to remain. Now, he has taken further action.
In his statement announcing that he needs to undergo surgery, Ter Stegen clearly stated that he will be absent from the field for 3 months. According to regulations, only when a player's injury layoff meets the minimum standard of 4 months for a long-term absence can Barcelona exempt his salary space to alleviate the pressure from the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. However, Ter Stegen's 3-month injury layoff obviously does not meet this condition.
La Liga has relevant rules: if a player is injured and has to be sidelined for four months, the club can deduct the player's salary from the total team wage bill. According to Catalunya Radio, Barcelona's medical department assessed that due to Ter Stegen's recurrence of an old injury – with the injured area having undergone surgery before – his recovery time is expected to be between 4 to 5 months.
Thus, at the time of the injury, Ter Stegen seems to hope to hinder the registrations of new signings García and Rashford by disclosing his injury layoff duration. This statement by Ter Stegen may cover up the secret game between him and Barcelona's management. For if, as initially discussed, Ter Stegen were sidelined for four months, the club could use 80% of his salary (he is one of the high earners in the team) to register other players, such as Joan García and Rashford.
The current situation of Barcelona's goalkeeper position is quite special. In the league match against Mallorca on August 16, only Peña will be available. Besides Ter Stegen's absence due to injury, Joan García and Szczesny have also failed to complete their registrations, as there is insufficient space in the team's total wage bill to exempt their salaries.
Under such circumstances, head coach Flick has had to take Peña on the Asian tour and temporarily put aside the matter of Peña's departure.