"President wanted to annoy me more than bringing in a player" - Ronald Koeman says Barcelona allowed PSG to swoop in and sign experienced star
Former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman recently stated that the club allowed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to swoop in and buy club target Georginio Wijnaldum.
Koeman was in charge of Barca for 435 days between August 2020 and October 2021. The Blaugrana played 67 games under the club legend, winning 40, drawing 11, and losing 16.
While the team was in mid-table when he left, the fans were treated to glimpses of good football from time to time.
One player that the Dutch manager wanted under him at the club was none other than his compatriot 'Gini' Wijnaldum. However, the former Barcelona manager revealed that the club allowed PSG to capitalize and take the player. He told Dutch media outlet AD.nl (h/t Barca Universal):
“I tried to sign Wijnaldum for Barça but I failed because the president wanted to annoy me more than bringing in a player… That delayed the operation and for that reason, he opted for PSG. Otherwise, he would have played for Barcelona.”
Wijnaldum eventually made a move from Liverpool to Paris, making 38 appearances for the Parisians and bagging three goals and four assists. The Dutchman currently plies his trade for Serie A giants AS Roma on loan from the French club.
Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele keen to play more with PSG star Kylian Mbappe
Not long ago, Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele and PSG's Kylian Mbappe were tipped to become two of the scariest attacking forces in international football.
While Mbappe's career has progressed with time, Dembele has been rather injury-plauged throughout his career. In a recent interview with RMC, Dembele expressed his desire to play more with Mbappe for the French national team as he stated (h/t barcauniversal):
“It’s a pleasure to work again with the French NT, I worked hard for this since last year. I’d like to play more games with Mbappé. He knows me very well, I know him very well. We’ve only played four or five games together and it went very well.”
The Frenchman further went on to assess his side's chances of retaining the World cup trophy in Qatar, adding:
"The objective is to keep the title but with caution all the same. There are some nations that are strong too. For me, now there are no more small nations, you can win or lose against everyone. It’s even more difficult and I think France will fight in Qatar to keep the title.”
Dembele and Mbappe were both part of the France squad that lifted the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia but played only one game together.