Koeman will not hear about Umtiti
"I respect the players who are under contract, but I have already told the squad who I am counting on and who I trust", he said
BarcelonaRonald Koeman has reviewed issues related to the transfer market and the azulgrana squad ahead of Barça-Getafe this Sunday. "I understand that the fans can be frustrated, seeing how other clubs sign these days, and we can't compete economically with PSG, City or United. But this is the economic reality of the club. You have to be realistic and we hope that in the future things will go better, but this situation will still last for a long time", said the coach regarding the latest movements in the transfer market: "We are betting on young players and we need patience, but I think we will have a good team when we recover the injured players".
Umtiti, however, has not changed club, and he will finally stay at Barça as a result of the impossibility of transferring him. "I have already told the squad who I am counting on and who I trust. And, although I respect the players who are under contract, some of them will find it very difficult to play. Besides, when we get all the players back, I will have a squad with thirty players. How does a coach have to manage this?" asked Koeman, who complained about the difficulties the club is having in getting rid of some players.
On the other hand, he had a different tone with Pjanic, a player he would like to see leave before the market closes, but whose "attitude" he highlighted and considered that not calling him up would have been "disrespectful". As for Collado, who has not entered the list, the coach has been just as cold as with Umtiti: "He knows there is a lot of competition and you have to find a team to play. A few days ago, Koeman already said that he preferred Demir to the Sabadell player.
He also spoke about Ansu Fati. Although the player unleashed fans' enthusiasm by returning to complete part of the training session with the group, he said patience is needed, and that he still "needs time to recover his competitive rhythm". "He still has a long way to go before he can compete at the highest level: he has been injured for many months. We won't take any risks with him. He won't be in the match against Sevilla [matchday 4, 11 September]", he said.
