Ronald Koeman pleads his decision was in Barcelona star’s best interest.
Fans of football club Barcelona were left astonished after their new manager, Ronald Koeman allegedly told academy graduate Riqui Puig to “find a way out” of the club. The 21-year-old is arguably one of the most exciting products of La Masia and made his first La Liga appearance in 2019. The young midfielder is now being asked to leave the club by Koeman and many believe that this is hypocritical since the Dutch manager always said that he would give the youth a chance over the aging players.
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The Spaniard did not play any part in the match against Elche. The Joan Gamper Trophy was won by Barca on Sunday with a 1-0 win but Puig’s absence from the team list could not help but shock fans from around the world.
When asked about whether Puig was at all a part of his plans he said,
"“It’s not true that [Riqui Puig] is not in our plans. I spoke to him yesterday. I speak to the young players – they have to play. They can’t not be playing…Him, [Carles] Alena, Pedri…I’ve told them that it’s difficult for them and there’s lots of competition. Nothing more”Source Goal"
He went on to explain that despite the midfielder not fitting in his system, he does desire him to leave on a loan deal to continue his development.
"“I’ve told [Riqui Puig] that he has a future here, but it depends on the player. I’d recommend that he went out on loan. At 20 years of age, the young players have to play. They can’t get stuck for a period of time.”"
This decision will definitely create a divide between the fans as some will support him while some will criticize him. However, after he came into the club he made big statements by making a lot of older players redundant and many thought that the youth academy would finally prosper again. Should the Catalans sell off their most talented graduate, it will be very damaging for the club in the long run and thus they should carefully evaluate the situation and not make hasty decisions.
The current board under the president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, have been notorious for making bad transfer decision especially concerning their youth as evident with Artur Melo. The board often loan out their future stars but include a very cheap purchase option that often tempts the other clubs to permanently sign the talented La Masia graduates.
Should Puig leave Barca for regular minutes?