'It's a bitter feeling' - Inaki Pena reveals Barcelona pressured him to delay summer transfer as goalkeeper opens up on disappointing exit

Pena was included in the 2024-25 roster by head coach Hansi Flick, being assigned the role of Ter Stegen's understudy. However, just a month into the campaign, the German international suffered an ACL injury. Pena, thus, became the automatic choice to serve as the first-choice goalkeeper. In October, Barca struck an agreement with Wojciech Szczesny, who came out of retirement to join the Catalans until the end of the season. 

Pena proved his credentials and showed that he was ready to shoulder the responsibility in Ter Stegen's absence, drawing praise for his incredible performance in the 4-0 drubbing of Real Madrid in a La Liga Clasico in October 2024. However, at the turn of the year, Szczesny was handed his first start in the Supercopa de Espana, and the Polish veteran sealed his spot in the XI, much to Pena's disappointment. 

The-then 25-year-old reportedly had a private meeting with Flick, in which he was told by the German boss that the chances of him returning to the lineup were slim barring an injury to Szczesny. In all, Pena made 23 appearances for Barcelona last season. 

Barcelona were keen on extending Szczesny's contract after his reassuring displays as the protector of their goal. Additionally, the Blaugrana were desperate to sign Garcia from Espanyol following his sensational performances in La Liga, with the young keeper coming to the club as the new first-choice custodian. With Ter Stegen also pretty much a part of the club's plans despite going to war with Barca's board, Pena's future at the club remained as uncertain as ever. 

It was obvious that the Alicante-born goalkeeper would depart this past summer, but his exit was blocked by Barcelona. The club's fragile financial condition meant that they faced difficulties in completing the registrations of Garcia and Szczesny. As such, Pena was pressured to delay his transfer after explaining to the player that his switch to another club was contingent on if and when they could get the required registrations over the line. 

Teams such as Como and Galatasaray had previously expressed interest in acquiring Pena's services, but the two clubs eventually moved on due to the recurring delays in Barca's clearing Pena for a departure. In the end, Pena signed a three-year extension with the reigning La Liga champions and joined newly-promoted Elche on a season-long loan.

“I played 25 or 26 games, but you're left with a bitter taste in your mouth when you haven't played for the last few months,” said the goalkeeper at his official presentation for Elche, who admitted that he chose Elche after weighing up “the pros and cons.”

He explained why his departure got delayed. “Barca asked me to wait until they registered the goalkeepers, and obviously, it was going to be easy because I have a contract, but I needed to play as many games as possible and have continuity, which is what I've been lacking in recent years to make the leap,” Pena added.

"[Elche head coach Eder Sarabia] knows what I can give and I know what he wants from me. I spoke to him several times in the summer, but Barca wouldn't let me leave until they had registered their goalkeepers. But he gave me confidence and told me they were waiting for me, something not all clubs do."

Pena made his debut for Elche on September 21, helping his side to a 1-0 win over Real Oviedo. He started the next game, too – a 1-1 draw against Osasuna. However, he faces competition from 38-year-old Matias Dituro, who has started five games. Elche remain one of the only two teams, alongside Barca, to not have lost a single La Liga game so far.