Ronald Koeman Slams ‘Annoying’ Barcelona President Joan Laporta for Blocking Gini Wijnaldum Transfer

• Ronald Koeman has pointed accusing fingers at Barcelona president Joan Laporta for blocking the transfer of Dutch international Georginio Wijnaldum
• The 59-year-old Dutch tactician, who explained that he was not given enough time by the club's chiefs, was replaced by club legend Xavi after a string of bad results
• Gini Wijnaldum joined PSG instead following Barcelona's delay but struggled to make an impact in his first season and was loaned out to AS Roma in the summer transfer window

Former FC Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has claimed club president Joan Laporta frustrated his plans of bringing Georginio Wijnaldum to the Camp Nou.

Koeman was shown the exit door as coach of FC Barcelona last October after a run of poor results and was replaced with legendary midfielder Xavi Hernandez.

But during his tenure with the Catalan giants, Koeman wanted to sign Wijnaldum following his exit from Liverpool in the summer of 2021 to augment his options in midfield.

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However, Koeman's plans did not materialize with Gini Wijnaldum eventually inking a three-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Reflecting on the collapsed deal, the 59-year-old tactician pointed accusing fingers at Joan Laporta for frustrating his transfer plan.

"I tried to sign Wijnaldum for Barça but I failed because the President wanted to annoy me more than bringing in a player. That delayed the operation and for that reason, he opted for PSG. Otherwise, he would have played for Barcelona," Koeman stated to AD via GOAL.

Koeman will return to management since his sack at Barcelona after the 2022 World Cup following his reappointment as head coach of the Dutch national team.

Ronald Koeman breaks silence after Barcelona sack

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that former Barcelona gaffer Ronald Koeman has broken his silence on sacking at Camp Nou claiming that the club's president Joan Laporta did not give him much time to succeed.

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After poor results in all competitions last year, Ronald Koeman was sacked by Barcelona and was replaced by club's legend Xavi who has been impressive since he was appointed.

Ronald Koeman expressed unhappiness with the way he was asked to leave Barcelona claiming that the club had the patience for current manager Xavi.