FC Barcelona Has ‘New Signing’ For Copa Del Rey Final, End Of Season

FC Barcelona can boast what is often dubbed ‘a new signing’ in Spain, for its end of season run.

Captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen hasn’t been seen on a competitive soccer pitch since late September last year.

After he was brought off approaching half time in an eventual 5-1 away thrashing of Villarreal, the Catalans then confirmed through a statement that the German had “a complete rupture in the patella tendon in his right knee”.

Approaching May, Ter Stegen is now on the brink of getting medical clearance to play once more and has been seen in recent training sessions running drills amid the rest of the first team.

When his potentially season-ending knock was confirmed, Barca received special permission to make a signing out of the closed transfer window, which didn’t necessarily have to be a goalkeeper.

Sporting Director Deco and President Joan Laporta did indeed decide to increase options between the sticks, however, which meant that Wojciech Szczesny was persuaded to come out of retirement and initially provide back up to Inaki Pena.

When the La Masia product arrived late for a meeting during the successful Spanish Super Cup campaign, however, ‘Tek’ became Hansi Flick’s number one shotstopper and hasn’t looked back since.

SPORT reports that Ter Stegen “aims to be called up for the Copa del Rey final” on Saturday which pits Barca against its eternal rival Real Madrid in Sevilla.

It is of course near impossible that he starts after such a long time out, but AS separately reports that while Szczesny will be the Blaugrana’s ‘keeper for the Madrid affair and a Champions League semifinal show down with Inter Milan, Ter Stegen could be selected for a La Liga trip to Real Valladolid on May 3.

While Szczesny only signed on a one-year contract, there are plans to extend his deal for another 12 months which means that competition for minutes between the Pole and skipper will go beyond this spring, when Barca is still in the running to seal a historic quadruple under a Flick that is in his maiden term in Spain.

On the horizon, US star Diego Kochen might soon provide competition to the aging pair while Pena considers his future.