JEDDAH (SAUDI ARABIA) (ITALPRESS) – João Cancelo is on his way to Barcelona because he truly wanted the move. Deco, Barça’s sporting director, acknowledged that without the contribution — including a financial one — from the Portuguese full-back, the deal would most likely not have gone through.
“He is a quality, top-level player, a deal that would have been difficult to complete, but he had an agreement that allowed him to leave and he is a player who has always been madly in love with Barça. Every time he accepts a pay cut because of the appeal this club has. And, as I said, in January we wanted to raise the quality of the squad, and Cancelo is a player who allows us to do that. What matters in the winter transfer window is to improve: staying the same or getting worse makes no sense. We didn’t need central defenders since we are getting Araújo back, and Cancelo’s arrival also means Eric García doesn’t have to adapt to the role of full-back. Moreover, at certain times, Koundé can also play centrally, giving us solutions we didn’t have before,” Deco stressed.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
