2023-08-13 01:02:38
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, the Spanish football champion, confirmed on Saturday that the decision of French winger Osman Dembele to leave for Paris Saint-Germain was a great disappointment for him.
The French club had confirmed the arrival of Dembele, 26, to the Parisian capital earlier on Saturday, following activating the release clause from his $54 million contract.
Xavi, the former Barcelona midfield maestro, defended Dembele, who was subject to harsh criticism, as soon as he arrived to take over the technical matters in the Catalan club, and pushed him mainly to contribute to the French international winning the “La Liga” title, following several years during which he fell victim to many injuries since his arrival. in 2017.
“For me he was a good player who helped us a lot and made him important. For me he was an important player,” Xavi said in a press conference before his team’s match at Getafe on Sunday.
He continued, “In the end, it was a big disappointment, a big disappointment because he decided to go when he was happy here. We bet on him, which is disappointing for me on a personal level. I think we are establishing a project here, but he chose to go somewhere else.”
“I wish him well, but overall, I can say it was disappointing,” he added.
Dembele moved to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund six years ago for a club record fee of 105 million euros ($115 million).
The winner of the 2018 World Cup in Russia suffered from injuries without imposing himself as a mainstay, except following the arrival of Xavi.
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