OFFICIAL: Eric García joins Girona on loan from Barcelona

We have yet another deal going through in this busiest of Deadline Days for Barcelona: center-back Eric García has joined Girona on a season-long loan, the club announced on Friday.

Eric’s move to Girona was first rumored at the beginning of the week, and things picked up steam in the last few days with the player making his desire to join another club in search of regular first team football clear to manager Xavi Hernández.

Another reason for Eric’s departure, as we’ve learned thanks to multiple reports from Catalan media, is that Manchester City requested Eric’s loan as a condition during their negotiations with Barça for João Cancelo. The City Football Group owns Girona and because they couldn’t get the permanent sale they wanted for Cancelo, they demanded Eric’s loan to Girona as a way to sweeten the deal from their perspective.

It’s a weird one and it leaves Barça short on numbers at the back, especially with the health questions surrounding Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo. But Eric has struggled to play quality football since arriving at Barça, and maybe a full season as a starter for Girona will help him blossom into a solid player who can help the Blaugrana if/when he returns.

Good luck at Girona, Eric!