Kevin Gameiro reveals why he rejected Barcelona for Atletico Madrid
Barcelona aren’t a club that is often rejected, but Atletico Madrid’s new signing Kevin Gameiro did precisely that. The former Sevilla striker confirmed his move to the Rojiblancos earlier and explained that a lack of a guarantee of first-team opportunities is why he opted to move to Madrid instean of Barcelona.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique identified Gameiro as a target, but ultimately missed out, with the French striker moving to Atletico Madrid for a €32 million fee. Speaking to French new outlet, L’Equipe, Gameiro explained the reasoning behind his decision, saying “It was overwhelmingly a footballing decision.”
“I knew that if I went to Barcelona, I would be the fourth-choice attacker [behind Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar]. My playing time would have diminished, I think.”
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Gameiro enjoyed a fruitful season with Europa League champions Sevilla last time around, scoring 29 goals and assisting 7 in 52 games for the Andalusian club. The Frenchman then made a startling revelation, saying “In fact, it was more likely that I would have stayed at Sevilla rather than going to Barcelona.”
“Atletico Madrid are offering a very good project, notably with a new stadium in a year. Also, for three or four seasons, the team is not changing much. I was told that it was like a big family.”
Barcelona’s troubles with attacting new attacking signings continue
Barcelona’s settled front-three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. formed the ‘MSN’ trio that broke all kinds of scoring records last season. The success has had a downside, as Barcelona are stuggling to attact quality back to their side. Techinal director Roberto Fernandez outlined the problem, saying “We have such a good team that it's difficult to sign players.”
“Everything is calibrated, but there are certain signings you can't even begin to broach; There are players who don't want to come to Barcelona.”
Also Read : 5 best signings by FC Barcelona
It seems Fernandez was speaking of Gameiro, who noted that he had also rejected better financial offers from abroad, saying “My agents made me aware of more attractive offers on a financial level but I wanted to stay in Spain. I feel very good here, my family does too and La Liga is one of the best leagues. Only Spanish teams have won the European trophies in the past three years.”