Barcelona locker room stand in support of homegrown star ‘struggling emotionally’ – report | OneFootball

Hansi Flick’s decision to change Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper – from Inaki Pena to Wojciech Szczesny – in recent weeks has been a topic of much debate.

After all the 25-year-old homegrown star had not done much wrong since becoming the regular starter following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury.

As such, his ouster from the starting XI sparked some tension, with the player and the manager said to have had a ‘tense conversation’ about the situation, which could also affect the goalkeeper’s future at the club.

Barcelona captains supporting Pena

Amidst all this, SPORT reports that Inaki Pena’s emotional turmoil has not gone unnoticed by his Barcelona teammates.

Indeed, the dressing room has not distanced itself from the situation, particularly when it comes to showing support for the young goalkeeper, who is struggling emotionally.

The La Masia graduate is not the only first-team player who finds it difficult to understand this decision, and while they respect Flick’s decision as they must, they have not hesitated to voice their doubts.

In fact, the team captains showed great solidarity with the goalkeeper, reaching out to encourage him and urging him to keep his spirits up and continue working hard for the good of the group.

No longer the starting goalkeeper. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

On an individual level, some ‘heavyweights’ of the squad have also stood by his side, even asking if something had happened that they were unaware of, which might justify such a sudden change in the goalkeeper position.

Some of his teammates have not fully understood the reasons why Flick has exclusively chosen to rely on Szczesny. The conversations did not end there, as some individuals even directly questioned the German manager about the situation.

The truth is that Pena is one of the most beloved and respected players in the Blaugrana dressing room, especially among the group of young academy players such as Gavi, Hector Fort, Fermin Lopez, and Lamine Yamal.

“They see him almost like a father,” club sources from Ciutat Esportiva say, “because he is a total example as a professional.”

However, with the situation now being as it is and Pena’s contract expiring in 2026, it will not come as a surprise to see the goalkeeper consider a departure in the summer.