Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has explained the way in which Luuk de Jong is actually better than Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar.
When de Jong made his way over to the Nou Camp from Sevilla on deadline day as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, many fans couldn’t quite believe their eyes. Some felt as if de Jong could be a “surprise package” sort of signing whereas others questioned the logic of the deal altogether.
Either way it happened, reuniting Koeman with another one of the players he managed during his time with the Dutch national team.
Is Koeman right about de Jong?
When asked about the move in a recent interview, Koeman was quick to defend his new signing and what he brings to the table – and he even managed to throw in a dig on Neymar, too.
“When there’s a cross coming in, Luuk is more dangerous than Neymar.
“He’s a different kind of forward to what we have, and I think all teams should have one like him.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTpN0yLM3gt/“I told the club last year. I wanted to be able to change my forwards. If the game calls for someone like Luuk, then he’ll play.
“We lost Antoine Griezmann on the last day of the window and only had three forwards.
“I first made contact with Luuk on August 8 and, even before that, I wondered why Barcelona didn’t have a guy like that.”
Whether or not be can become a sustained success story with Barca remains to be seen but for now, fans will have to take a back seat as the Barcelona rebuild continues.
Featured image credit: Getty
