Barcelona manager has claimed today that, while he doesn't doubt Daniel Alves's quality, he doesn't want to keep an unhappy player at Camp Nou:
"We have talked about it with Dani, I told him how I feel, and I do not want him to stay here while he is unhappy. He deserves to ask for what he wants, and the club has the right to give it, or not. I want him to be happy here, or anywhere.", said Pep Guardiola. It seems as if some other club (Manchester City?) is offering him a more lucrative contract and has managed to lure Daniel Alves with their millions.
While Alves is undoubtedly a great player, Barcelona shouldn't disrupt their pay roll because of him, so we'll probably have to accept his departure and find/promote from La Masia an adequate replacement for the Brazilian, unless he accepts Barcelona's conditions. He has been a loyal employee for almost three years and, much to our dismay, we'll have to accept if he does decide to leave in order to get more money.
The good news is that Éric Abidal and Thiago Alcantara's contract situations are looking a lot better. On Abidal, Guardiola said: ""The club is aware, I think that he will renew, and we want him to continue here because he is a very important player for us."
Finally, on Barcelona's new wonder kid, Pep said: " "Thiago is not moving. Next year he will be in the first team. He stays."
Given Abidal's form this season and Thiago's excellent promise, it's great news for the club that they will stay. They both have still a lot to give to Barcelona, especially Thiago, who's only 19-years-old.
The Daniel Alves situation is a bit more concerning, though. If he does leave, who could fill the void left by the Brazilian? Any suggestions?
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