Can Barcelona secure replacement signing for injured Ter Stegen?

After goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen sustained what appears to be a serious injury over the weekend, Barcelona now face the decision of whether to entrust back-up keeper Inaki Pena with the gloves or to explore the transfer market.

Although the transfer window is closed in Spain, the club is permitted to sign a replacement for Ter Stegen—though only certain players would be eligible, and there would be limits on their expenditure.

Ter Stegen was stretchered off in tears during the first half of Barca’s 5-1 La Liga victory against Villarreal on Sunday, following an apparent knee injury. Initial reports suggest significant tendon damage, with the German potentially facing up to nine months out of action.

Despite the transfer window closing on August 31, the rules set by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) allow the club to sign and register a new goalkeeper immediately, provided two conditions are met. The player must be a free agent and must have terminated their contract with their previous club before the deadline.

While Barca is currently over the salary cap imposed by La Liga’s financial fair play regulations, this situation would not prevent them from replacing Ter Stegen.

If medical professionals confirm that a player will be sidelined for more than four months due to injury, the league permits teams to offer his replacement a salary of up to 80% of that earned by the injured player, irrespective of the club’s wage-cap situation. With Ter Stegen earning €9 million a year, Barca would be able to allocate approximately €7 million for a new goalkeeper’s annual salary.

Previously, Barca could have made an emergency signing from another Spanish club, as they did four years ago when they acquired Danish forward Martin Braithwaite from Leganes.

Until a recent rule change, the RFEF allowed clubs to fill the gap left by a long-term injury by making a signing outside the transfer window from a team within the same league. 

This often resulted in the buying club paying the player’s release clause, given the selling club’s understandable reluctance to part with a key player. After all, the latter club would be left short-handed and unable to replace him.

This was the case in February 2020 when Barca responded to a serious injury to Ousmane Dembele by paying Braithwaite’s buy-out fee to Leganes. Los Pepineros lost their star striker midway through the season and subsequently faced relegation from La Liga.

Following this controversial transfer, the RFEF secured permission from both FIFA and the Spanish government’s National Sports Council to abolish this rule. Since the 2020/21 season, La Liga clubs have been prohibited from making such emergency signings.

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