Umm, at the time, meaning coming from an average career at Real Sociedad. At the time, meaning before being injured in training he was scheduled to being a backup. And at the time, not counting players who were unlikely to play like Vermaelen and Douglas, Bravo was the weakest of the remaining signings by virtue of talent and track record.
You know my position on Bravo. I've said he had a very solid season, but relatively uneventful and uncomplicated. My opinion on him will not change after just one season. He is a very experienced goal keeper, and that is the biggest positive he has going for himself.
My only issue vis a vis Bravo is with the overration and overhyping that surrounds him.
I'm not so sure Stegen was scheduled to being anything. Why is everyone so sure Stegen would've been rock-solid starter? He wasn't Neuer or Buffon when he came. Bravo's career at Real Sociedad was good enough to warrant a 12m. move to one of the biggest club in the world. Also, being Chile's captain should have given some hints about his leadership qualities as well. Only serious players are captains of their national team, let alone a very good NT like Chile. There is no exception to this. Bravo was underrated when he came, pure and simple. And Stegen was overrated, hence the discrepancies in the sympathy (or antipathy in Bravo's case) which whith they were welcomed by the fans. The image the fans had about these players was not the right (or fair) one.
I know your position of Bravo. That's why I said you don't like him. When you say about a player that he will never be good enough to be a starter at a team, it is a big deal. It involves a degree of certainty, one that can only come from either not liking him or seriously underrating him.
You're opinion on him was already changed by reality. You surely now think he is good enough to be more than a bench warmer at Barcelona.
There's no overrating Bravo on this forum, as an overall impression. I haven't seen people saying he is better than Neuer, or better than De Gea, Buffon, or Curtois. That would be overrating him. Placing him in top 10 in the world at this moment is not overrating.
And about last season, no one can say anything bad about it (except the mistake vs Sevilla). He won the Zamora, and was MotM (or close) in both Valencia games, the RM game on Camp Nou were Real dominated us for 55 min., and was solid all around, with very few exceptions. Clear no1 and best keeper in the league type of season. Winning the Copa America with his country as captain for the first time in their history was the icing on the cake. Had he played in Copa and CL he would've probably made 4/4.