Liverpool-Barcelona feud? the transfer that didn't go down for revenge

Former FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has taken a swipe at president Joan Laporta, who he accused of blocking the signing of Georginio Wijnaldum, who is wanted by the Catalan giants in the 2021 transfer window along with Memphis Depay. Koeman, at a Cruyff Foundation event, which was also attended by Frank Rijkaard and the family of the former FC Barcelona player and coach: Jordi, Danny and Susila.

King Willem-Alexander also attended the Cruyff Foundation's open day at the Sports Complex De Toekomst. The King toured the sports ground and talked to children, sports providers and ambassadors. Koeman said he wanted to sign Georginio Wijnaldum for Barça in the summer of 2021, "but the president wanted to play with me rather than get the player".

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The former Barça coach, on the other hand, did not want to talk about the Dutch national team led by another former FC Barcelona player: Louis van Gaal. Ronald Koeman asked for respect for the coach, who is preparing for Qatar 2022 with the 'oranje'. "I tried to sign Wijnaldum, but I failed because the president wanted to screw me more than to bring in a player. That delayed the deal, and that's why he opted for PSG. If not, I would have played at the Camp Nou", explained the former Barcelona player.

In June 2021, with Joan Laporta as president, a Barça in financial difficulties thought they had secured a top midfielder like Georginio Wijnaldum, who was released from Liverpool after not renewing his contract and was arriving for free. However, he suddenly chose PSG as his destination until 2024 with the following argument: "We spent weeks negotiating with Barcelona, but the club did not make the move and Paris Saint-Germain came along and were quicker and more resolute. It was difficult to say no to Barça because they were one of the first clubs to be interested in me and they are one of the big clubs, but I'm happy with my decision.

Wijnaldum should not have left Liverpool

The truth is that Wijnaldum has had no luck in football since then. Twelve months after that possibility, in June 2022, the 31-year-old Netherlands international was named as 'Ligue 1 Failure of the Year' by the Get French Football News website, after tallying 100,000 votes cast and consulting expert opinion. He failed to shine at PSG 2021-22 despite making 18 starts and 13 substitute appearances in Ligue 1, scoring just one goal despite being an in-form midfielder.