Inaki Pena has been talking about his summer exit from Barcelona and why he decided to move on after falling down the pecking oder.
The stopper had been hoping to be No. 1 last season after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s
injury but saw Wojciech Szczęsny arrive instead and take over in the Barcelona goal.
Barca then added Joan Garcia to the squad in the summer, further limiting Pena’s chances, and he admits the season was “difficult” and that he moved on for his own “personal well-being.”
“I played 25 or 26 games, but you are left with a bitter feeling of not playing for the last few months,” said the goalkeeper who moved to Elche.
“I’m from Alicante, my people are from here and my wife is from here. And then there is the philosophy of the coach. I have worked with him and the best conditions are given to give one hundred percent or to be close to my best performance.
“He knows what I can give and I know what he wants from me. I spoke to him quite a few times in the summer, but Barça wouldn’t let me leave until they registered the goalkeepers. But he gave me confidence and told me that they were waiting for me, something that not all clubs do.”
Pena has made two appearances this season so far for Elche who have made a great start and sit fourth in the table after seven games played.
