It was in the last days of the last summer transfer market when Eric Garcia Martret asked Xavi Hernández to go on loan to Girona for one year. He told the coach that he wanted to take a step forward. He was the fifth center back in the squad behind Araújo, Koundé, Christensen and Marcos Alonso. As if that were not enough, Barça had also just signed Íñigo Martínez.
The Martorell centre-back studied the situation, spoke with his agent Iván de la Peña and came to the conclusion that he wanted to have fun with the ball again after a difficult season in which his presence radically decreased. The 1,814 minutes played in 32 games in the five competitions in which Barcelona participated -Champions, Europa League, Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and the League- were not enough for him. As a result, his market value had also reached its lowest point at 10 million. A figure very far from the 20 million valuation that he reached when he returned to Barça in June 2021.
In Girona it has been revalued again. With 2,297 minutes played to date in two competitions - the League and the Cup - the Martorell centre-back has already reached 15 million euros in market value. But the most important thing is that at 23 years old he enjoys himself again. He now lives in La Vinya, the Girona complex where Míchel's team trains and takes advantage of the proximity to the PGA Catalunya in Caldes de Malavella to learn to play golf. His versatility and calm character have opened the doors to Míchel's elevens and he has rediscovered a style of play in which he feels comfortable. In the offices at the Montilivi stadium they define him as “an undisputed player in the game scheme. He has been key for us.”
Before leaving Barça, the center-back wanted to close one last condition: he did not want fear clauses in his loan. Due to lack of time, the sports management led by Deco did not have room to renegotiate either, much to the dismay of Xavi, who has never seen fit for the club's players to play against them during their loans. But if Míchel considers it, Eric Garcia will be able to play this weekend against his Barça.
Although Xavi didn't want him to leave, he understood. The extreme situation in which the club found itself without salary space to register João Félix and Cancelo did the rest. During all this time Xavi has followed him closely and messages have been exchanged. He has also been visited by Bojan Krkic, a member of the sports team who is in charge of monitoring the experiences of those on loan. After several reports, the intention of the sports leadership and Xavi is to get him back. Especially if Araújo ends up leaving or if they fail to register Iñigo Martínez. “In summer I will return. And we'll see," the center-back said a few weeks ago in an interview with RAC 1.
He will always prioritize the ball, as he was taught at La Masia. After 10 years in the youth team, Eric left in 2017, coinciding with a period when few youth players set foot at the Camp Nou. He opted for Manchester City where he learned under Guardiola. Four years later and with many expectations placed on him - many compared him to Piqué - he returned to the club of his life. His was the first hire of Joan Laporta's second presidential era. He signed until 2026 and his clause was set at 400 million euros.
Now Girona will be the club that will not make his return to the Camp Nou easy. The intention of the technical secretariat led by Quique Cárcel is to make an effort to sign Eric Garcia. Nor would they see it as a bad thing if Pablo Torre continued in Girona but on loan. That is also the wish of the 21-year-old midfielder. “Pablo has matured, he has grown and he is learning. He has talent and our football is doing well,” they recognize in Girona. And in Barcelona? They value the growth of the Cantabrian, but they prioritize making money with a possible transfer and recovering the center back from Martorell.
