Watching from the sidelines: Frankie de Jong's sadness, anger and dilemma
About three years after fulfilling a dream and landing in Barcelona as one of the most expensive signings in its history, despite the criticism and distrust from Xavi, the Dutchman has good reasons to give up on a reunion with his brother Tan at Manchester United.
Michael will prepare for the relationship that is having a hard time understanding how he became a victim in the midst of a crazy purchasing campaign
Michael Yochin
12/07/2022
Tuesday, July 12, 2022, 8 p.m.
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We ticked off: Today's summary clip, 11.7 (Sports 1)
Frankie de Jong was the first to arrive earlier this week for Barcelona's medical tests.
He hurried into the locker room in front of everyone and got ready for the season-opening practice.
The message should be sharp and clear - the Dutchman is interested in continuing to wear the Blaugrana shirt, and his opinion has not changed even after the long courtships run by Manchester United.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils are today hosting their first friendly match with brother Eric Tan on the lines, when they meet Liverpool in Thailand (16:00, Sport4).
The coach has clearly marked the relationship he has nurtured at Ajax as his most important acquisition of the summer.
The club's management does not intend to skimp and is willing to close things down as quickly as possible, so that the boss will give De Jong exactly the role he loves most of all - the retreating 4-2-3-1 formation with a more defensive partner that will give him freedom of action to gallop forward.
This is how he will function in Amsterdam and this is how he will be able to play at Old Trafford as well.
On paper, this is an offer that is not easy to refuse, but de Jong chooses to refuse in the meantime, and he has good reasons.
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"De Jong must be saying to himself, 'Why should I be the victim?'" (Photo: GettyImages, Francesco Pecoraro)
Barcelona was and remains the club of his dreams.
He longed to come to Catalonia when he started playing at Willem Twain's academy, fulfilled that ambition at the age of 22 when he became one of the most expensive signings in the club's history at the end of a brilliant season at Ajax, extended his contract until 2026 a year and a half ago and feels he is still far from finishing his job at Camp Nou.
Quite the opposite - the criticism that he did not reach his full potential only strengthens the motivation to persevere and do so.
De Jong also expected a much bigger success and did not imagine that he would add to the title cabinet only one Spanish trophy for three years, but it is not his fault that the club got into a particularly serious financial crisis.
It's the fault of those who signed players to unfounded contracts - even if one of them belongs to him.
This is the main reason why Barcelona President Juan Laporta is determined to sell De Jong.
His signing was the last big "success" of his hated predecessor, Joseph Maria Bartomeu, who gave a monstrous reward to too many players.
In the coming season, the Dutchman is expected to receive 21 million euros, which include a loyalty bonus, and in the 2023/24 season, the payment is expected to rise to 28 million.
Also, De Jong is the only expensive asset on the roster that is set to be realizable immediately.
On the one hand, he has a demand - for evidence the proposal of the Red Devils.
On the other hand, the fans will not burn the city if he is left, unlike Pedry and Gabby who must not be touched in any way.
The two young Spanish diamonds in midfield are the ones around which coach Xavi will build his team.
Now Frank Casilla has also joined as a free agent from AC Milan, and Barcelona hope to sign Rafinha from Leeds in the coming days.
Under these conditions, De Jong is not a necessary player.
The commentator of the "S" newspaper, Juan Jimenez even emphasizes: "Frankie does not convince Xavi to the end in terms of his abilities to position himself on the field."
To what extent is this really true?
It is not known, but such reports are leaked to the media frequently, and this can only happen if management is interested in it.
De Jong reads it, and his blood boils.
He sees how the club is trying to push him aside and damage his image in the eyes of the fans, solely for economic reasons.
The midfielder himself has already agreed to a postponement of salary payments in order to facilitate Barça's cash flow, and now the club owes him at least € 17 million beyond normal salary.
This debt has also come up on the negotiating table with Manchester United, because it needs to be dealt with before the deal closes - and at the moment it seems that there is no money in the coffers to do so.
At the same time, for some reason the money was found to sign Cassia and Andreas Christensen from Chelsea, to persuade Rafinha to sign and also to go into a very long and well-publicized chase after Robert Lewandowski who wants to leave Bayern Munich.
The Dutchman just can not help but wonder: "If there is money for these players, why can not pay me too? Why should I be the victim?"
Conveyed a clear message.
Frankie de Jong (Photo: GettyImages, Soccrates Images)
There were also hints that the whole saga was meant to persuade De Jong to give up the debt and sign a new contract at a lower salary.
The actor and his agent outright rejected this option - and rightly so.
Had such a move been required to prevent the bankruptcy of the beloved club, it could have been considered, but Barça are now willing to pay Bayern € 50 million for Lewandowski and meet all 34-year-old Polish star's salary demands.
Something here is completely illogical at the most basic level, and all the complex accounting exercises done at the club behind the scenes are completely incomprehensible to a bystander like de Jong.
So he watches what is happening sadly and is angry at the attitude the management is showing towards him.
He really does not want to be the goat to hell.
This frustration could theoretically make him work hard for the move to Manchester United, and the reunion with Brother Tan really promises a lot.
At Old Trafford, De Jong will also meet his good friend Donny Van de Bike, and will be able to fill exactly the slot he wants.
"I like to get the ball out of the brakes," De Jong has repeatedly stressed, but in Barcelona's 3-3-4 formation he is not suited to be the only back-to-back midfielder, as he has no Sergio Busquets qualities, but after experiencing too many disappointments in Barcelona Herself, he knows full well how unstable the situation may be at Manchester.
In Barcelona he enjoys the city and belongs to the club to which he is very emotionally attached.
What will happen at United if Brother Tan suddenly leaves?
Who can guarantee that the new Dutch project will not collapse in one season?
With whom will he stay then in a club that feels quite foreign to him, and also smaller compared to Barcelona these days?
Because with all due respect to Barça's huge problems, it will also play in the Champions League next season and this is expected to be a smooth dose in the foreseeable future as well.
In contrast, the Red Devils are out of the Champions League next season and it is not known when they will return there.
In fact, Brother Tan may abandon precisely if that does not happen, and then de Jong will remain bald from here and there.
The move will be no small gamble on his part, and at the stage he is not really mentally ready to take it.
Now the Chelsea option has popped up as well, but it feels much less attractive professionally anyway.
At Stamford Bridge there is no tan, and no Dutch at all.
Thomas Tuchel's style does not necessarily suit him - certainly no more than Xavi's approach.
The Blues have a new management that does not know what it intends to do.
It is inconvenient to move to such a new place just because Laporta is pressed to save money to spend it on other players.
De Jong has a contract until 2026, and he prefers to maintain stability.
If Samuel Omititi has received all of his exorbitant payments without playing, De Jong can get what he deserves while contributing a lot as a very integral part of the squad.
So he came to the medical examinations yesterday and made it clear to everyone what he intends to do, but of course it will not put an end to this strange saga.
She will accompany us in the coming weeks as well.
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