Dembele leaves. And Xavi Hernández explained himself. With a clear and forceful speech, the FC Barcelona coach, a great supporter of the Frenchman, did not hide his feelings or his analysis of the situation. “It’s simple. Dembélé explained to us that he had a proposal from PSG. That he has spoken with Luis Enrique and with Al Jelaïfi and that he had an offer. Obviously we can’t match it. We can’t compete. I asked him why he was leaving and he didn’t tell me. he knew how to say. I suppose that it will be explained. I am disappointed. But the important thing is that it has been clear. I wish him luck”, explained the coach.
After 15 days in the United States, Xavi has experienced the evolution of the case very closely, constantly talking with Mateu Alemany, the football director who also traveled to the tour and who led the conversations with Dembélé and his agents. “I knew the details of the contract clause. We have discussed them with Mateu Alemany, we have been together. I knew that there was the possibility that he would leave. I saw him so happy that I did not expect it. But this continues and if he does not want to be in Barça have to let him go”, he added.
And now? Xavi is already looking to the future. Since last June 28 and at the initiative of Mateu Alemany who spoke with LaLiga, clubs can use 50% of what they save in salaries (not long ago it was 25%) to make new hires. This percentage goes up to 60% if the player represents more than 5% of the cost of the sports squad. It is the case of Dembélé. “We had a contemplated scenario and now we have to reinforce ourselves because in my opinion Dembélé’s loss weakens us. We are all aligned, it is not that I want to send a message to the sports management,” Xavi clarified.
Despite considering that he has a short squad, the Barça coach does not rule out more departures. “Lamine Yamal can help us a lot, Abde, Raphinha, Ferran Torres in all three positions… but I still think we have to reinforce ourselves. Can there be more forwards coming out? Sure. All this doesn’t stop anything. We have to see how is the fair play, but we do not rule out any scenario”, he warned. One of the exits that the coach expects to be closed is that of Kessié, who stayed on the bench with Dembélé. “Kessié had discomfort. That’s why he hasn’t played. From his future he knows the situation we have”, said Xavi.
Gavi didn’t play either. Unpublished on this tour. “Gavi has had and will have a very important role. He is one of the field players who has participated the most with me. He is pure passion. A differential talent of 18 years old. He has had a back problem. He was blocked and we have decided to reserve him for the Gamper. But it will be very important”, sentenced Xavi.
Beyond one winger, Barcelona will try to reinforce itself by signing one more midfielder. He is also looking for a right back. At the moment Xavi only has Dest, the only natural winger in the squad. He doesn’t convince you. “I’m not going to give names but yes, the right side has to be given a spin. Sergi Roberto, Koundé or Araújo can play, but they are not his natural positions. We’ll see how everything turns out”.
He was especially proud with the signing of Oriol Romeu. “I was one of those who insisted the most on signing him. I know him well. He is a perfectionist, wants to improve and performs both in attack and defense. I am delighted with him. He will be a great replacement for Sergio Busquets,” he said. He also congratulated Ansu Fati, scorer of the winning goal against Milan. “Ansu has made the difference. He has defined very well. I am happy for him because he is working well and is going to help us”, he remarked.
Afterwards, the coach got up to take the flight back to Barcelona with his players and also with Dembélé. “The tour has been positive. It started off rough due to the gastric virus, but we’ve been fine. We’ve gone from less to more. We weren’t very good against Arsenal, we improved against Real Madrid and today we saw a great Barça. We’ve earned well, in a solvent manner,” he said. Next stop, the Joan Gamper trophy on August 8 at Montjuïc against Tottenham. Now without Dembélé.
“It’s a shame. He is a very important player for us. He had been there for many years, he was very loved by the team. We are sad, but we have to continue, we have a great team and we can compete against anyone”, pointed out Sergi Roberto.
The first captain shares the same feeling of disappointment as Xavi Hernández. “In the end, when you love a person, it feels a bit bad for them to decide another option. It’s a job and each one decides what is best for him. He will have his reasons. Here we have given him everything and he knows that he was an important player for We would have liked him to have stayed, I wish him the best”, the captain stated.
Marcos Alonso seconded him. “He is not a player who talks a lot. There were no signs. He was very important to us and we hoped he would stay, like last year. He was very happy at Barça. We didn’t know anything… A pity. I wish him the best because he is a good teammate, a good friend. This team will be able to handle everything”, the full-back stated.
