Pascal Dupraz: "Braithwaite has always wanted to play in the best clubs in the world"

With a few weeks to go, one would have thought of an April Fool's day but FC Barcelona cleared up any ambiguity this Thursday mid-day: Danish striker Martin Braithwaite did indeed sign at Barça for 4 years and against a check 18 million euros, the amount of its release clause.

The surprise is total for a player who has scored only 6 goals this season with the penultimate La Liga, Leganés, after having revealed himself in Toulouse from 2013 to 2017. In the Pink City, he had registered 40 goals in four seasons and rubbed shoulders with Pascal Dupraz. The current coach of Caen tells here “his” Martin Braithwaite.

Are you surprised to see Barça recruit Martin Braithwaite as a medical joker?

PASCAL DUPRAZ. I am neither surprised nor worried about him. Martin has always had very high ambitions. At the time, he was already telling me that he wanted to play in the best clubs in the world. Like what it is sometimes necessary to set unattainable goals, because sometimes we reach them. The expression “never give up” was his and tells us what kind of player he is: he never gives up.

But do you think it is much aligned?

I do not believe that Barça, which must have many scouts ( Editor's note: supervisors ), acted lightly. He had to be supervised many times. Barça may not have had that profile in its workforce. And then I do not believe that we sign a 4 year old player if we do not intend to make him play. I don't know what his playing time will be, but he has the opportunity to prove, to perform. When you play in large teams, your rendering is more consistent. He will also give other solutions to the great ball handlers around him.

How can he fit into this team and this locker room?

Martin is a hard worker, a hard worker, self-assured. He's going to arrive in a star locker room but he has ego too. It will be fine, that's for sure! Besides being a very good, reliable player you can count on, he is also a charming boy. I have a lot of respect for him and I think it is mutual. I am very happy for him. I kept a link like with other of my former players, but I'm not going to text him right away: I'll wait until he scores his first goal.

Newsletter - The essentials of the news

I'm registering

Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more

In Toulouse, you appointed him captain ...

I had to solve a problem: I had two great attackers, he and Wissam Ben Yedder, but I only played with one center forward. Rather than putting one on the bench as it was before I arrived, I decided to put Wissam in the forefront because it is of formidable efficiency, and I summoned Martin to tell him: I'm going to make you play on one side, but to give you my recognition, I give you the captain's armband. It's just management…

You also managed to make two players who did not necessarily like each other live together…

I can say it now: during the individual interviews that I conducted regularly with the players, I made the same speech to Wissam and Martin: you are the best player on the team. They did not speak, there was no risk that they would notice!

Can he succeed at Barça?

Martin has created many opportunities in medium teams there he will benefit from caviar! He just needs to improve his chances / goals ratio, because he is not at Wissam's level on this point. But I send him a big thumbs up, and it's a very good signal to all the players: you should never refrain from dreaming. This is how we reach the Grail.