08/18/2020 - 16:12
- Clarín.com
- sports
These are convulsed days in Barcelona since last Friday the club suffered what is probably the greatest humiliation in its history, with the 8-2 loss against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. And to the novelty earlier this Tuesday of the departure of the sports director Eric Abidal , in a wink for Lionel Messi, important statements from the club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu , were added this afternoon about the future of the club. With the confirmation, for example, that unless something strange happens, Quique Setién's successor on the substitute bench will be Ronald Koeman.
"If nothing goes wrong, Koeman will be the Barcelona coach. We know well how he works, how he acts, his philosophy and his experience. We bet on him. He has been in Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team'. He was the first one we called in January. It's a dream for him, "Bartomeu commented in an interview with Catalan media.
The leader also made it clear that there is a strong renewal in the team, as had been advanced in recent days. "There are players who have already fulfilled and have to leave and new players who will arrive. There is a legend that the players rule. The players are consulted, like everyone else, but I am the one who makes the decisions."
🔊 @jmbartomeu: "If nothing goes wrong, Koeman will be Barça's coach next season. We already know how he thinks and his philosophy" pic.twitter.com/NWCBSCO24j
- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) August 18, 2020In any case, it was clear that Lionel Messi is out of any renovation plan and that the idea of the club is for him to stay there as long as possible. "I have spoken with Koeman and the pillar of our project is Messi . He has a contract until 2021, I speak a lot with Leo and more regularly with his father. No doubt that in Koeman's new project there is Messi," he said.
He also officially spoke of the club's interest in Lautaro Martínez. He did not rule out his arrival although he did explain that the conditions changed. "With Inter we have been talking about Lautaro for months, we stopped the negotiations a few weeks ago and we will see what the new coach and the Secretariat think," he explained. And he also specified: "We have money, the problem is a salary limit. We have to reduce the salary mass of the team," he said. Another sign in favor of the renewal and departure of players with high contracts.
The one who did leave out of the race to reach the club was Neymar. In that sense, he explained that if PSG is not willing to let him go, any type of negotiation will be "impossible". "Going for a player like Neymar when the club he is in does not want to sell him is impractical. Last summer we tried," he confessed in that sense.
Bartomeu, before entering the meeting at the Barcelona headquarters this Monday where the steps to follow were analyzed. (Photo: AFP)
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