Deco: We didn't ask Rodri to leave; Atlético simply didn't want to sell him

Barcelona sporting director Deco was interviewed by RAC1 to discuss the team's season start, several summer transfers, and topics related to Rodri, Alvarez, Raphinha, the Ballon d'Or, youth player development, and future squad planning. This article is the third part of the exclusive interview.

The situation with Rodri is quite the opposite, isn't it?

First, regarding Rodri, a few months ago we didn't even consider it; it was never a realistic option.

Initially, because we didn't think he would leave Manchester City. It's not that we didn't want Rodri, but if you believe a player will never leave, it's hard to even think about it. We felt there was virtually no chance he would depart since he still had a year left on his contract.

I also thought at the time that Manchester City was negotiating a contract extension with him, so we never seriously considered Rodri. Later, a possibility emerged, and news started circulating that he might leave.

At that point, the first thing I did was contact Hugo Viana. He's Manchester City's sporting director, and we used to play together. I called him directly and asked if the news about Rodri's potential departure was true.

He told me they were working hard to renew Rodri's contract and had already offered him an extension. But if Rodri himself decided to leave one day, given his history at the club, everything he'd done for the team, and his experiences over the years, it would be difficult for them not to let him go.

Players like Rodri and Bernardo have already made history there. So if Rodri ultimately made that decision, I think it would be hard for them to force him to stay. That was the information we had at the time.

From there, we then assessed whether it was a deal we could complete. Of course, it was a difficult and complicated deal. But the first thing was always to discuss this possibility with the head coach.

We asked him: "If this opportunity really presents itself, what should we do?" He then discussed it with his coaching staff and told us: "Go for it." After that, we really started working on the deal.

And he also rejected Real Madrid. That was the most surprising thing. If someone had told us before the summer that Bernardo Silva would go to Real Madrid, we probably wouldn't have believed it; if someone had told us Rodri would ultimately choose Barcelona, we wouldn't have believed that either.

You'll have to ask him that.

Fair enough, so we need to ask him personally. One name that certainly dominated the summer is Alvarez. Do you regret how the Alvarez situation ultimately played out?

I think... in the end, there are things the player himself cannot come out and say. Certain things, I believe... the information we have is the information we have.

I don't want to talk too much about this subject anymore, as it's already been discussed too much. We did what we had to do.

We formally submitted an offer, but received no response. Since then, what's been discussed in the media is far more than what actually happened.

What we actually did was very straightforward: we made an offer. We also explained repeatedly that we communicated with them very respectfully and with a clear approach. And they told us from the start that they didn't want to sell the player. That's it.

As long as you're Barcelona's sporting director, have you completely ruled out the possibility of Alvarez joining Barcelona? Or is it still possible he could play for Barcelona next season? Do you think this matter is completely closed?

I think, first of all, that different moments present different situations. We can't keep revisiting the same topic repeatedly. I don't like that, and I don't think it reflects reality.

I believe the media and public pressure, and many things said from outside, are far greater than what actually happened. The reality is very simple.

We made an offer to a club, and they told us they didn't want to sell the player. That's where it ends; there's no need to discuss it repeatedly.

I want to clarify something, as it's been mentioned. During the transfer window, did Barcelona ask Alvarez to publicly declare he wanted to leave Atlético Madrid?

No.

No. Okay, that's clear then. However, just before the transfer window closed, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín said something along those lines.

Gil Marín: "This makes us even more angry, because the falsehood, lack of ethics, lack of transparency, and lack of professionalism disgust us."

Do you think he was justified in saying that? Or was he using lies to justify why Alvarez ultimately stayed at Atlético against his will?

All I can say is what actually happened. We tried, as we formally made a proper and official offer, but we received no response. Since then, I can't say whether the player himself asked to leave or what agreements they had, because I don't know those things. I can only speak to what we did.

I still remember very clearly when I was a player. I wanted to go to Barcelona, but the late president of Porto, Pinto da Costa, wouldn't let me leave that year. He told me: "Stay one more year, and next year you can go wherever you want."

I remember that very clearly. Like any player with a goal in mind, all I could think about at the time was Barcelona.

Because it was the club I dreamed of playing for, where I'd always dreamed of playing. So I stayed.

Since I stayed, the only thing I could do was play, play well, and see if it could happen the following year. Of course, even then things could change the following year.

But I was fortunate. I remember that Chelsea and several other clubs were also interested in me back then, and some were willing to pay more money.

Are you using your own experience to hint at what happened with Alvarez, just in reverse?

No, no, no, I'm not talking about that. I'm just saying that everyone has their own situation. We can only answer for what we did.

It's very simple. We tried to sign a player, it didn't work out, and that's fine. They didn't want to sell; that's all there is to it.

It's like if someone came to us about one of our players; the same situation could arise. But you can't say we did something wrong, because we didn't. That's the point, and it ends there.

Deco: B. Silva was never our primary target, but he said he wanted to come to Barcelona

Traduit par IA.

Le site web d'AF est désormais en ligne ! Actualités complètes, commentaires, détails des matchs et statistiques sur votre ordinateur. Visitez : www.allfootballapp.com