Arsenal transfer target Joan Garcia has received some incredibly positive, albeit odd, praise from his own head coach.

Arsenal have not given up on signing Joan Garcia

Espanyol star Joan Garcia is Arsenal’s top target to replace Aaron Ramsdale. The North London club wanted to sign Joan Garcia last summer, when Ramsdale moved to Southampton, but were unable to reach an agreement with Espanyol.

The La Liga side were adamant that Arsenal pay a release clause of €25-30 million, which the Gunners were unwilling to do. However, Arsenal maintained contact with Garcia and continued to pursue the transfer.

In fact, Arsenal are now considered the frontrunners to sign the 23-year-old, who is almost certain to leave Espanyol this summer. However, Garcia’s impressive performances in La Liga have also caught the eye of Manchester United, who are considering entering the race for him.

Wherever Garcia ends up next, it’s clear that the club will have a gem in goal. Garcia was part of Spain’s Olympic gold medal squad last summer and is currently one of the most exciting goalkeepers in La Liga.

Garcia is compared to Messi during his time at Barca.

Garcia’s influence this season has been so great that Espanyol coach Manolo Gonzalez made a surprising comparison: he compared him to Lionel Messi, the legend who once played for arch-rivals Barcelona.

“We have a goalkeeper who really makes the difference. It’s like when Barca had Messi. He’s going to be a role model for the world. I’m very happy for him, both professionally and personally,” Gonzalez said after Garcia kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Getafe on April 18.

For his part, Garcia also hinted at the possibility of leaving Espanyol in the summer: “I’m not thinking about it right now, but you never know,” he told Tiempo de Espanyol in February.

“If it happens, hopefully it will be for the best. If I end up leaving, can I not say goodbye properly? Espanyol is the club that gave me everything. If I leave quietly, I will not be able to be at peace.”