Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) world record signing Neymar launched a scathing attack on his former club’s directors, saying that Barca deserves much better.
“The people in charge at the Catalan giants are not the people who should be there, for the direction of Barca,” Neymar told reporters after scoring twice on his home debut as PSG thumped Toulouse 6-2 in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
“I want to speak the truth, I’m very sad with them,” said the Brazilian star, who cost the Paris club a world record 222 million euros ($261 million). “I spent four years there and I was very happy. At the start, I was happy. I spent four beautiful years there and I parted happily. But with them (the club’s directors), no.”
“For me, they are not the people who should be there, for the direction of Barca. The club deserves much better and the whole world knows it,” said Neymar. Despite securing the massive fee for Neymar, Barcelona still struggle to replace him before the transfer window closes.
The club has had bids in excess of 100 million euros for Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele turned down. And the club has been criticised for splashing out 40 million euros ($47 million) for Brazil midfielder Paulinho, who has spent two years at Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
But Neymar said that he could not comment on what the club was doing before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. “I cannot speak now I am in another team. I don’t know what’s going on there, but I see my old teammates sad, and it’s that which makes me sad because I have a lot of friends there,” he said.
“I hope that things will improve for Barca and that they will become a team that can rival others,” Neymar said. However, former Tottenham flop Paulinho’s arrival has not been warmly received by Barca fanatical supporters at the Camp Nou. Over 80 per cent of fans urged the club not to pay more than 20 million euros for Paulinho in a survey conducted by Barcelona sports daily Mundo Deportivo.
