Arriving at Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 from FC Barcelona, Arnau Tenas (24 years old) arrived with the label of a recruit made in Luis Enrique. In the end, the former Blaugrana had to be content with the few crumbs left by Gianluigi Donnarumma and Matvey Safonov (8 matches, all competitions combined, 10 goals conceded). This summer, he saw Renato Marin fill the goalkeeping sector, but Tenas kept an eye on the complicated situation of the Donnarumma-Safonov duo. The first was asked to leave after the arrival of Lucas Chevalier, while the second left doubts about his future after a year of acting as the Italian's understudy.
No guaranteed holder status
In the end, Donnarumma left, Safonov stayed and Villarreal gave Tenas the opportunity to finally have more playing time.I was told a lot of good things about the club and I felt at home there from the first day. It's a very family club and I feel very comfortable there. I speak with everyone at the club and I really feel like I've known them forever. I hope I can stay here for a long time“, declared the player a few days ago at a press conference. Under Marcelino's orders, Tenas joined the crew of the Yellow Submarine without being guaranteed number 1 doorman status. Forced to deal with the Brazilian Luiz Junior and the Spaniard Diego Conde, the former Parisian was quickly brought up to speed by his coach regarding the status of the club's three goalkeepers.
“We have three goalkeepers who work very well, there is competition for everyone and from there, one will play once, then another will play another time, the one we judge most fit at each moment, but knowing that the team is the most important, that it is the sum of individual performances and wills», declared Marcelino after the victory against Osasuna on September 20. The Spanish technician then walked his talk by starting Tenas three days later in Seville. A winning bet. Villarreal won at Sanchez-Pizjuan (2-1) and Tenas received praise from his coach. “We thought we should give Arnau a chance and I think he did great. He knew how to convey his confidence, he made a very important save at 1-2 and we are very satisfied, just as we are with Luiz and Diego. Our goal is very well protected, just like the rest of the areas.»
Tenas advantage before the break
A management that succeeds for Marcelino since his Villarreal is, for the moment, third in the La Liga standings. Afterwards ? Luiz Junior resumed his place in the cages for the Athletic reception, but Tenas had the confidence of Marcelino for the Champions League match against Juventus (2-2) and the Liga clash three days later against Real Madrid (3-1). For the moment, Arnau Tenas does not have a breathtaking record (six goals in three appearances), but he seems to have gained a slight advantage over his Brazilian competitor. While waiting to see if this will be confirmed next Saturday against Betis, the main interested party did not seek to enter into the debates, very happy to finally be able to express himself on the pitch more often than at PSG.
“From my point of view, everything is going very well. Since day one I have had a very good relationship with Luiz Junior and Diego Conde. We get along well. We have a very good group of goalkeepers, where competition is healthy. For my part, I am ready to intervene as soon as the coach needs me. I have a strong and open personality. I like to communicate with my teammates at all times and, what's more, everyone made it easy for me from the start. I feel comfortable and confident. It's a very exciting season. The goal is to stay at the top of the rankings and play the Champions League again. Our goal is to win every game. We will take the matches one after the other, whatever the competition. The team is ready for anything.» Hopefully it lasts!
