In terms of results, Ronald Koeman's return to Barcelona as the first-team coach did not go well. Josep Maria Bartomeu's board of directors selected him to help the club return to the top, but it was Joan Laporta who fired him when he failed to turn around the club's woes.
After a series of poor results, the Blaugrana opted to fire the 58-year-old manager at the end of October 2021. They consequently appointed legend Xavi Hernandez as the new coach.
After parting ways with the Catalan giant, he has rarely gone public, nor has he told his side of the story about the termination of his contract, and what exactly was happening at the club. Now the experienced Dutch boss has decided to reveal some details in a long interview for the Dutch media.
Koeman: How could Barcelona lose Messi and then make €55 million signing?
"Barcelona didn't give me the same amount of time as Xavi. It's still a source of discomfort for me. I worked with a lot of injured players. Pedri is now in good form, and Ousmane Dembele has returned. The board must give each coach time and patience.
"Laporta repeatedly informed me that Xavi would not be his coach because he lacked experience. I wasn't, however, Laporta's coach. From the beginning, I had that sense. There was no click once he was elected. I truly wanted to succeed at Barcelona, but I realized Laporta was trying to get rid of me since I wasn't his choice.
"I consented to the departure of some players at the request of the club's management to help put the finances in order," However, it makes you question if anything else was going on when they signed someone for €55 million so soon after letting Messi leave. Why did Messi have to leave?" Koeman told the Dutch newspaper AD.
