La Masia graduate and Barça Atlètic player, Arnau Tenas, who was once heir apparent to Marc-André Ter Stegen, is leaving Football Club Barcelona. This comes as a shock to the Barça faithful, as it seemed like Tenas would prefer to continue his career in Barcelona and fight for a first-team spot in the upcoming seasons.
However, it seems as though Barcelona has shown Arnau Tenas the door and he will not continue at the club. Fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment with the news, as Tenas was clearly a fan favorite and was primed to take over Ter Stegen’s throne once his time was up.
However, Arnau is too skilled a goalkeeper to keep the bench warm for FC Barcelona, and both the club and the player’s entourage are about the same. As such, parting ways seems like the best and most likely option.
To make matters worse, Tenas will leave on a free transfer upon the expiration of his current contract with FC Barcelona. Given the dire financial situation that Barcelona is in right now, they could use the potential couple of millions they would’ve made from selling him on. After all, every penny helps in a situation like this.
Why isn’t FC Barcelona renewing Arnau Tenas’ contract?
The shot-stopper’s contract is due to expire on June 30th and it has become apparent that FC Barcelona will no longer rely on Tenas’ services. Even though Tenas’ contract had a clause in it that allowed Barcelona to extend his contract for a further two years, the club has decided against this option.
Just last week, Barcelona was preparing a proposal for Tenas’ agents to trigger the renewal clause in his contract. Hence, this revelation comes as a surprise to many. As per Albert Rogé, the club sees Iñaki Peña as a better backup to Ter Stegen and will retain him for the foreseeable future, choosing to part ways with Tenas instead.
A player of Tenas’ caliber will attract interest all across Europe, and clubs will be fighting for his signature, especially considering that they wouldn’t have to fork over a single penny in transfer fees.
Given his high ceiling and ball-playing ability, coupled with his Barça DNA, Tenas would be a stellar signing for most La Liga sides, and even some European clubs challenging for continental football.
With clubs like Las Palmas, among others, already eyeing Arnau Tenas, it’s clear that there’s no shortage of prospective clubs for the homegrown Catalan starlet. However, he will decide his future after the UEFA U-21 Euros, at which he is starting in goal for Spain.