Koeman wanted Luis Suarez to join Juventus not Atletico Madrid
When Barcelona told Luis Suarez that he would be no longer required at the club, no one thought that he would end up with one of their main rivals. Ronald Koeman admitted that it would be better for them if Suarez had gone to Juventus instead but he still claims that letting him go was the right to do for the club.
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Koeman’s very first action when he was appointed as Barcelona’s manager was to get rid of the people he deemed were no longer required by the club. He let go of most of the aging players to replace them with younger alternatives. The Uruguayan striker was also unfortunately told to find a new club. However, now he has become a menace and maybe on his way to win his first La Liga title without the Catalans.
Juventus was one of the clubs who were looking to pick up the veteran striker and Suarez looked keen on joining the Italians as well. However, after a rather lengthy and humorous case of the striker failing his language test and allegedly cheating on it, his visa to Italy was canceled. This is when the Madrid side saw their opening and swooped in to acquire the goal poacher.
It has really worked out for them as well as Suarez is currently the top goal scorer in the league and the team is sitting comfortably on top of the table. The 34-year-old has managed to score 14 goals in 16 appearances which helped his team gain a massive 10 points lead over second place, Barcelona. It seems like Atletico are destined to win their first title in seven years.
Koeman backs the decision of letting Luis Suarez leave.
Koeman however, is still adamant that letting him go was the right decision. In an interview with The Athletic, he said,
"“It’s part of your job. You speak to the club — and when I came as a coach to Barcelona, we had our opinions and I had the information out of the club — and then finally you make decisions.“We are changing and of course, it would have been better that Luis Suarez signed for Juventus instead of Atletico Madrid because he’s still in the Spanish league.”Source Goal"
Although it seems impossible that the Catalans will catch up with Atletico now, Koeman is happy with his team’s progress and said that no one expected the club to win trophies this season. He went on to explain that the club is in a transitional phase but they will be back in no time and that people should not worry too much about the club.
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Should Barca have kept Suarez after failed Juventus transfer?