Scout Report – Dani Garcia
Swansea City are set to raid the Spanish La Liga in order to sign midfielder Dani Garcia from Eibar in the upcoming summer transfer window as per reports from Marca (via Sport Witness).
The 27-year old has been a key member of the Spanish outfit, helping Eibar finish 10th in the Spanish top division. Garcia made 38 appearances at heart of the midfield, scoring once and setting up one more for Eibar. Swansea manager Paul Clement is aware of the midfielder’s abilities, having seen the Spaniard in action during his days as the No.2 under Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Who exactly is Dani Garcia? What can he add to the Swansea midfield? Let’s find out.
Footballing Background
Born on 24 May 1990, in Zumarraga, Basque Country, Daniel ‘Dani’ Garcia began his footballing career by joining the Real Sociedad academy. Having progressed through the academy, he couldn’t break into the first team and left for Alicante on a free in the summer of 2009. Having joined up with the B team, Garcia was promoted to the senior team in the same year. He went on to make 29 appearances for the club.
Two years later he joined La Liga club Getafe but was part of the B team for whom he made 36 appearances, before returning home to Real Sociedad in 2012. A day later, he was sent out on loan to Eibar, who were in the third division at the time. Garcia made 41 appearances for his loan side, helping them to promotion to the second division.
Owing to his impressive performances, Eibar renewed his loan for another season in which he made 38 appearances, helping the Armeros to a promotion to the top-flight for the first time ever and his transfer was made a permanent one in the summer of 2014. Garcia made his La Liga debut in August 2014 and has become a key cog in the Eibar midfield over the years. Since his permanent transfer, the 27-year old has made 108 appearances for the Spanish club, scoring twice in the process and was also appointed as the club captain during the 2015-16 season.
Style of Play
Garcia is a defensive midfielder by trade but has been used in a slightly advanced position on occasions throughout his career.
One of his strongest features is the ability to read the game and anticipate things, which allow him to make key interceptions with the utmost regularity. He made 76 interceptions in the La Liga in the 2016/17 season. The 27-year old is also an astute tackler and comes out with the ball more often than not. Last season, he made 147 tackles, coming out on top on 106 occasions. A good passer of the ball as well, Garcia may not be someone who will score or create a lot, but a player who will render some steel to the midfield and help his team build attacks from deep.
However, one concern with the player, as is the case with most defensive midfielders is his discipline. He tends to give away a lot of fouls (52 last season) in his own half and last season, Garcia accumulated a total of 9 yellow cards and a red card. While it is acceptable for a defensive minded player to accumulate cards, he will need to improve on his discipline.
What Does The Future Hold?
Garcia, as per reports, has a €8million (£7million approx) release clause in his contract with Eibar, which Swansea are more than capable of matching. While they have the likes of Leon Britton and Jack Cork who perform a similar role for the team, Britton is 34-years old now and his game time will need to be managed carefully and Garcia could be the long-term replacement for the Welsh midfielder.
However, with interests from various clubs, the Swans will need to act quickly if they are to sign the player.