Photo: EFE Agency / imago images
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Ronald Koeman was installed by Josep Maria Bartomeu to replace the hapless Quique Setien in the summer of 2020. The trainer, who resigned his job as Dutch national coach for Barça, won the Copa del Rey with the Catalans in his first season and easily qualified for the Champions League.
The results mostly matched, at least nationally, under Koeman, but the performances were rarely of great entertainment value. After the personal bloodletting last summer (including Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Ilaix Moriba, Junior Firpo, Emerson), the point haul was no longer right. Barça threatened to miss the Champions League qualification – and put Koeman out.
Koeman attacks Laporta
The 58-year-old would have liked more confidence. “They didn’t give me the time they give Xavi,” he explained to the Algemeen Dagblad. According to Koeman, it was not the plan of Bartomeu’s successor Joan Laporta for Xavi to wield the scepter at Camp Nou. He had explained to him numerous times “that Xavi would not become his coach because he lacked the experience,” claims the Dutchman. “But he needed someone to hide behind.” He himself was “not the coach of Laporta”. The support was missing.
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Foto: Saolab Press / Shutterstock.com
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After three months in office, Xavi has led the Blaugrana back into the top 4 of the Primera Division and recently also developed in a playful way. Also thanks to the winter signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore, Dani Alves and Ferran Torres. “I would have liked to have had that too,” emphasizes Koeman.
“Why did Messi have to go?”
The signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City in particular leaves the 1988 European champions puzzled: “When you see that they’re taking someone for 55 million euros shortly after they let Lionel Messi go, you wonder if it’s not others Reasons. Why did Messi have to leave?”
What the ex-defender forgets: Messi had to leave because of his high salary. Despite halving his salary, he would still have earned 35 million euros. That was not compatible with the league’s internal financial fair play requirements. Ferran, on the other hand, is said to initially only get just under a tenth of this amount per year. The 55 million transfer fee for Torres will also be amortized over five years.
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