Deco (2): "The media pressure at Barca is huge"

Former Barcelona player Deco gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.


(read the first part of the interview here)


Is Barca more than a club?
Barca is a special club, yes, because it represents a country, Catalunya. I experienced all of its atmosphere and it's an incredible club, everything that happens around it is a big deal. There are always a lot radio, televisions stations and newspapers following up on the club... Barca is always being talked about. Everything that happens with the club is followed very closely. Its a very special team.

Out of the entire blaugrana squad, who would you take with you to Chelsea?
Sshh. There are a lot of great players at Barca: Iniesta, Eto'o, Xavi, Puyol, Rafa, they are a great team.... but with out a doubt the best at this time not just at Barca but in Europe and the world is Leonel Messi. He is a different kind of footballer, an extraordinary player. If I had to choose, I would choose him of course.

Would you also give him the Golden Ball or would it be for your national squad teammate Cristiano Ronaldo?
If I had to choose fairly, I'd choose Cristiano Ronaldo. The Golden Ball is for the one that has had the best season, and Cristiano Ronaldo won the Champions League and the Premier League playing at high level, so I think it should be for him.

Would you come back to the Liga?
At this time I would not return to Spain. I am very happy to be here, in a great club that allows me to continue striving for the Champions.

Do you see winning the double again, like in Oporto and Barca, as feasible?
Why not?

What teams do you think are the toughest rivals for Chelsea in the Champions League?
I think the same ones as always: Manchester, Arsenal, Barca, Madrid, Inter... I think they would be the favored to win it.

That reminds me, why did you not leave with Mourinho, who helped you grow as a player, to Inter?
Because Chealsea has not won the league title in two years, and it is a challenge for me to win it, like what happened in Barca. It was a new goal and so I came to London.

Translated by: Mario


This was the second and last part of this interview.

You can read the first part here:

Deco (1): "The current team is similar to my Barca"

Deco about exit (2): "Ex-teammates are happy"

In an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo, former Barcelona midfielder Deco (31) talked about his transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea this summer.





There's a big difference between Barcelona and Chelsea?
Both are big clubs with a lot of quality people. The main difference could be that I miss my Barcelona friends and team-mates, although that's compensated since here you have Belletti, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Bosingwa, Hilario and even Scolari, who - as Portugal national team coach - has been very important in my career. I feel already at home in London.

You didn't join your good friend José Mourinho at Inter.
The offer I got from Chelsea was in every aspect better than the one I got from Inter. I liked the project of Scolari and I cannot complain, it's a joy to play together with Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Joe Cole, Drogba, Terry and the others. We're gonna make life difficult for Inter and the other top clubs. We really want to go after the Champions League the club was so close to last season.

You already saw the new Barcelona in action?
Only during the Gamper game against Boca Juniors and I liked their spirit. The way they play, I already knew and I enjoyed it on the pitch as a player. That "style" is a tradition of Barcelona, no matter who is there.

What do you think of Guardiola?
I only know him from seeing him play and he was excellent doing that. The best thing I can say is that I regularly talk with my former team-mates and that they all say they're very happy with him, that they work hard, that they're satisfied and that things are looking good.

Meanwhile some people don't stop to talk negative about the period of Rijkaard...
Although it's not correct, it's partly a logical thing in the world of football. Everyone now wants to start a new era and forget the bad results. I sincerely think that time will end up doing justice to the Barcelona of Rijkaard, Ronaldinho and all the others. We won two Spanish leagues, one Champions League and we played excellent football.

You understand the criticism about the last years?
It surprises me a little. There was a time when everybody was hastily looking for guilty people so they could blaim some individuals and turn the page after having pointed at certain players. But I guess it's a normal thing in football when things aren't going well, when the results aren't there. What can you do about it, it's a football law.

(This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here)

Read more:
OFFICIAL: Deco to Chelsea
Barcelona involved in five summer top transfers
Deco's first weeks at Chelsea

Deco about exit (1): "I left in mutual agreement"

In an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo, former Barcelona midfielder Deco (31) talked about his transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea this summer.





Don't you feel you left Barcelona in a rather negative and cold way?
No, absolutely not. It was a mutual agreement between the club and myself. They told me that they didn't count on me any longer, that I had to look for a club and that's what I did. You shouldn't try to analyse it too much. It was something strictly professional.

You don't regret not having been able to say goodbye to the fans?
I would have liked to do that, but it wasn't possible since things suddenly went quick, the European championships were there and soon after I joined Chelsea. But in any case, there's enough time and I think football will give me the chance to say goodbye in the Camp Nou to the fans who liked and respected me, like I did with them. They are the best thing about the club.

Are you serious here?
I'm really serious. The Barcelona fans always treated me very good until some rumours were maliciously spread about me. I can assure that I even played when I was injured, but all this is history now, there's no need to talk about it anymore. For me, Barcelona is an unforgettable memory. You know very well that I was longing to play with this club for a long time before. I could make my dream come true, win trophies and now life goes on.

You hoped for a different treatment by the board?
No, my relation with president Laporta has always been good and sincere. I realize very well that the club Barcelona is bigger than the people, the managers, the players, the officials, the press... The club is from the socios and will be there for many more years, while people will come and go. I can only say that I'm taking Barcelona with me in my heart.

Did you talk with Guardiola?
No, but it wouldn’t have changed anything since my future had already been decided upon. They publicly told that they didn’t count on me or Ronnie or Samu. Maybe they spoke a little too quick, as if they were in a hurry trying to find some guys that were guilty for the bad results.

(Tomorrow you'll have the second part of this interview.)

Read more:

OFFICIAL: Deco to Chelsea

Did we get the right price for Deco?

Deco and Giovani are seen as bargains

Barcelona involved in five summer top transfers

Football site Goal has put together a list of the twenty top transfers of the past summer taking into account the form over the last twelve months, the potential, and the transfer fee involved.

With the move of Rafael van der Vaart from Hamburg to Real Madrid on top of the list, Barcelona is involved in five of the twenty transfers:



3. Aliaksandr Hleb (Arsenal to Barcelona)
A very shrewd buy, and what could very well turn out to be a stroke of genius from Barcelona. With Lionel Messi expected to run the show, what they needed was not a Ronaldinho, but a tireless, no-nosense attacking midfielder to offer support from the other flank - without hogging possession or the limelight. And they got him on the cheap too. A true critics' player in that while fans rave about others, he runs away with the technical plaudits.

5. Ronaldinho (Barcelona to Milan)
A gamble? Yes. But given the chance, would you sign one of the all time greats of football for a third of his market price last summer? You bet you would. At 28, he is far from over. Some diet planning and some tough training, and he will give at least three or four good years to the Rossoneri. A gamble nonetheless, or he would definitely have been number one. Number four for the Gaucho.

10. Daniel Alves (Sevilla to Barcelona)
Chelsea, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United – these are just some of the clubs that have queued up for him over the last 18 months or so. However, it is Barcelona who land him after some difficult negotiations with Sevilla. Perhaps a touch overpriced at 30 million euros (he would have been number one on this list at 20m), but then again, he is the best attacking full-back this world has seen since Roberto Carlos.

16. Deco (Barcelona to Chelsea)
On the wrong side of 30, a first look suggests that he is past it, but nothing could be further from the truth. There is a fire that burns in him as we saw during Euro 2008, and he has a lot more to give to football. He is not what Frank Lampard is, as he will never score as many goals. But then, he is also everything Lampard is not. Superb creativity, a great eye for the game, and an ability to run the show that has seen him win the Champions League with two different clubs. Finally, Chelsea have a player who can orchestrate the pleasing football their owner wants. With Ballack and Essien set to play around him, it will be an ominous midfield.

18. Seydou Keita (Sevilla to Barcelona)
At the time of his arrival he was the best signing Barcelona had made this season, particularly in light of the way their soft underbelly was exposed on the road last year. With him partnering Yaya Touré in the middle, it will ensure that the likes of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi do not get bullied, and also get the full license to thrill. 15 million euros worth their value.

Deco and Giovani are seen as bargains

British tabloid The Sun has put together a list of the best Premier League bargains this summer.

With Mikael Silvestre (from Manchester United to Arsenal for 850 000 euro) as number one bargain, former Barcelona players Deco and Giovani are on the list at places 3 and 7, with the following comments:




3. Deco (10 million euro)
Deco was hardly cheap but when you compare his fee to the number of expensive flops at Chelsea and beyond, he may emerge as a sharp piece of business. The Portugal midfielder has already proved himself as a matchwinner at Wigan last month and he has a track record of success.

7. Giovani (6+5 million euro)
It was not long ago that Chelsea were weighing up an eight-figure move for the Mexican, so Spurs now look like an early riser at the Christmas sales. Dos Santos is still a raw talent but if boss Juande Ramos can bring the best out of him, Barcelona may rue letting him go.

Read more:
OFFICIAL: Deco to Chelsea
OFFICIAL: Giovani to Tottenham

News of the day - Sunday

Txiki says the club keeps looking at the market ready to sign another play if there's an opportunity (Rac 1)
read more
read more

Txiki denies that Barcelona has spoken recently with Boca officials on a transfer of Palacio (Rac 1)
read more

Arshavin has told Tottenham manager Ramos that if Barcelona really comes after him, he prefers to join Barcelona (El Mundo Deportivo)
read more

Txiki says that Márquez is not for sale so Milan better forgets about him (Rac 1)
read more

Txiki says Barcelona talked with Milan about Henrique but Milan wasn't interested in a loan (Rac 1)
read more

Chelsea manager Scolari says that signing Deco was a condition for him to join Chelsea this summer (press conference)
read more
read more

Txiki says that if there's no new transfer, the players of the B team have a chance to be permanently promoted (Rac 1)
read more

Because little playing time with the first team or a return to the B team could stop Pedro's progress, Barcelona prefers the player to leave on loan and a deal with Primera División team Malaga could be closed in the coming hours (El Mundo Deportivo)
read more

Deco's first weeks at Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder and former Barcelona player Deco was two weeks ago officially presented by his new club and has since then been playing a convincing pre-season.

Did we get the right price for Deco?

Was 10 million euro° enough for former Barcelona midfielder Deco?

Asked about the transfer fee Chelsea paid for him, Deco said in an interview with Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio that the fee is the consequence of the statements made by the technical department and the board of the club:

"In a way, what has happened is the result of how they have dealt with the situation. If you say that you're not counting on a player, you cannot ask too much for him afterwards. On the other hand, if that wouldn't have been the case, Chelsea wouldn't have signed me."

Barcelona economic vice president Ferran Soriano said at a press conference that Barcelona has sold Deco for a good price: "The price that Chelsea has paid is the right price if you look at the value of the player, the fact that he's 31 years old and that we didn't receive other offers. If a player who we bought at the top of his game for 18 million euro, is sold after four years for 10 million euro, I think that's a success."

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain agreed with that view: "Deco is 31 years old. He played at an incredible level the first two years but he wasn't that good during the last two. I sincerely think that 10 million euro is the right market price. Also because we only had an offer from Chelsea on the table.

If we would have received other offers, we would have been able to negotiate, although we knew that the player really wanted to go to Chelsea because of his good relationship with their new manager Scolari. We've reached the best deal possible, we're very satisfied with the great sporting benefits in the past and the good economic benefits now."

Read the complete Deco transfer story from the first rumours until the signature

2007-2008: The transfer fees

Barcelona proposed last week its economic balance for the 2007-2008 year. These are the official numbers of the transfer fees paid and received between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2008.


TRANSFER FEES PAID
Milito: 17 million euro
Cáceres: 16,5 million euro
Piqué: 5 million euro
Pinto: 0,5 million euro
Gudjohnsen: 0,5 million euro variables (for qualifying for last season's Champions League)
Others (probably Barcelona B players): 3 million euro + 1,5 million euro variables


TRANSFER FEES RECEIVED
Deco: 10 million euro
Zambrotta: 9 million euro
Belletti: 5,5 million euro
Giuly: 3,2 million euro + 0,4 million euro variables (for Roma qualifying for last season's Champions League)
Maxi López: 2 million euro
Fernando Navarro: 1,5 million euro
Motta: 1 million euro

OFFICIAL: Deco to Chelsea

Chelsea has announced yesterday the transfer of Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30):

"Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Deco from FC Barcelona. The Portuguese midfielder becomes our first signing under Luiz Felipe Scolari since the Brazilian's appointment as manager on June 11."

In a first reaction to his new club's official media, Deco showed his happiness and motivation: "It is good for me to be here and first of all I am very happy to be here. I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and come back to being the first one, not only in England but also to win the Champions League that has been their dream for so long.

I always speak with my team mates when we are together with the national team and they have always told me how great Chelsea is and how great it is to play for this team. But the interest for me came about before we were in the Euros, I said to them that's great for you and Chelsea must be a great place to work with and obviously now I am very happy to be here."


Barcelona confirmed the news on its official website adding that Deco has signed a three-year contract with the English club and that Barcelona receives a 10 million euro° transfer fee for the player: "FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC have agreed the transfer of Anderson Luis de Souza, Deco, to the London side for €10 million. After four seasons at FC Barcelona, Deco has now moved on to English football Deco, who will be 31 next 27 August, has signed a contract that ties him to the Premier League outfit for three seasons."

Deco came to Barcelona in the summer of 2004, arriving from Portuguese champions and Champions League winners Porto. In four seasons with Barcelona he won two Spanish league titles in 2005 and 2006, two Spanish super cups in 2005 and 2006 and one Champions League in 2006.

pep's opinion:
transfer price is too low, certainly after the his good performance at the euro, but apparently they agreed before the tournament that he could leave for 10 million euro. in his first two years he has really been a key player in the team, he kept that midfield running. after that it there were injuries and a lack of motivation although he kept showing his class like in this year's cl semi's. it was over at barcelona, but i'm quite sure this season you'll hear every now and then people say "tonight we missed a player like deco". will be interesting to see how he will do in the premier league and how chelsea will perform with a real playmaker. thanks and good luck to him.

Read the whole Deco transfer story from the first rumours until the signature

Still no agreement on Deco transfer fee

British tabloid The Mail on Sunday claims that Barcelona and Chelsea have yet to agree on the fee for the transfer of Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30), who has already agreed personal terms with the English Premier League club.

Barcelona would be holding on to a 20 million euro° fee, which is deemed axcessive by Chelsea. The arrival of new Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari in London next week should nevertheless coincide with the deal on Deco being completed.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo meanwhile claims that there are only some details left for an agreement between the two clubs to be reached. The transfer should be announced later this week. Barcelona would receive a transfer fee of 10 million euro°.

Read more:

Deco will announce Chelsea transfer soon

Deco could swap places with Lampard or Gattuso

Deco agrees personal terms with Chelsea

Deco will announce Chelsea transfer soon

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) will announce in the beginning of next week that he will move to Chelsea.

With Inter Milan not wanting to pay the transfer fee asked by Barcelona, Deco will join former Portuguese national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari at Chelsea.

Barcelona would receive a transfer fee of around 10 million euro° for the Portuguese midfielder. Deco will sign a three-year contract worth 6 million euro a year with the English Premier League club (read more here).

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola repeated at press conferences earlier this week that he's not planning next season thinking about Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o (read more here) but he didn't exclude the players to stay in the end: "If they will start the pre-season with us, they will train with the group and will be threated exactly like the other players. And if it won't be possible to sell them, I will do anything to get the best out of them."

Read more:

Deco could be a Chelsea player this week

Hleb negotiations frustrate Barcelona

Chelsea and Inter want to reduce Deco fee

Deco could be a Chelsea player this week

British tabloid The Sun claims that Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) is set to become Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first signing for Chelsea this week. Barcelona would receive a transfer fee of 15 million euro° for the player.

Deco has already agreed terms with Chelsea (read more here) and an agreement between Chelsea and Barcelona is expected to be finalised soon. A source close to the deal is quoted as saying: "It’s just a matter of time to conclude the affair and it should be before the end of this week."

British tabloid The Daily Star nevertheless claims that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has made it known to Scolari he favours bringing in Arshavin. Scolari, a fan of Deco, told the Barcelona player that he would try to take him to Chelsea this summer.

Deco had also been Abramovich' favourite, but the latest performance of Arshavin at the European championship and the age advantage of the Russian player could change Chelsea's plans.

Read more:
Deco agrees personal terms with Chelsea
Could Barcelona pick up a player from Zaragoza?
Chelsea or Inter for Deco

Deco agrees personal terms with Chelsea

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) has chosen to join Chelsea and not Inter and that the player has already agreed personal terms with the English Premier League club.

Deco will sign a three-year contract worth 6 million euro net a year, which is 1,5 million euro more than what he is currently earning in Barcelona. With Barcelona asking 20 million euro° and Chelsea not wanting to pay more than 10 million euro°, a deal between the clubs nevertheless doesn't seem close.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo, who says that the presence of Scolari has been decisive in Deco's choice, claims that the transfer of Deco was the main issue during a meeting between Barcelona sports vice president Marc Ingla and Chelsea officials in London on Friday.

The English club made clear that they would like to sign the player but not for a 20 million euro transfer fee, which they want to see seriously reduced (read more here). The paper claims that Barcelona and Deco had also agreed before that the Brazilian-born Portuguese could leave for a lower fee.

Read more:

Chelsea and Inter want to reduce Deco fee

Barcelona keeping an eye on Valencia duo

Deco announces his exit

Deco will make a decision soon

Asked about the rumours linking him with a summer move to Chelsea (read more here), Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) said after the Euro quarter finals to British sports news agency PA Sport that he didn't yet make a decision but that this could happen soon:

"I know about the interest of Chelsea as well as other teams. But I still have to make a decision. I have to speak to Barcelona and soon there will be developments."

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that a deal with Chelsea seems very close. Once the player and the English club have reached an agreement on the personal terms, Barcelona and Chelsea will start the final negotiations on the transfer fee.

Barcelona would be asking 15 million euro° but due to issues like the age of the player a deal could well be closed for a fee between 10 and 12 million euro°.

Barcelona sports vice president Ferran Soriano denied earlier this week at a press conference that there would already be a deal on a transfer price: "It's not true that a fee has been agreed upon. It's nevertheless a fact that there are talks going on with several clubs trying to fix a price."

Read more:
Chelsea and Inter want to reduce Deco fee
Possible deal with Moutinho
Caceres' first interview

Chelsea and Inter want to reduce Deco fee

British newspaper The Independent claims that Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) is close to agreeing personal terms with English Premier League Chelsea (read more here).

With Barcelona asking 20 million euro° for the player, a deal between the two clubs nevertheless doesn't seem as close. Jorge Mendes, Deco's agent, is negotiating with Barcelona trying to convince them to reduce the fee. Chelsea would be willing to pay 13 million euro°.

Inter Milan would als be reluctant to pay the fee demanded by Barelona and has therefore set their sights on trying to land Chelsea's Frank Lampard. Inter manager José Mourinho meanwhile suggested in Brazil to journalists that he hasn't yet given up on the Portuguese midfielder:

"I cannot forget Deco, Lampard and Drogba. I am not nostalgic but I really like those three players, they helped me win some great titles. These are players who I could never say no to. I would love to work with them again in the future, but I am not too obsessed with this idea. I don't know which of these three will leave their clubs but we will see."

Read more:
Scolari will take Deco with him to Chelsea
Deco top target for Bayern
Chelsea or Inter for Deco

Vice president on Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Deco

Barcelona economic vice president Ferran Soriano (picture) repeated at a press conference that the club intends to sell Barcelona players Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Deco but left a door open for a stay:

"The club is planning the new season with the idea that those three players won't be here and we have advanced negotiations on their transfers to other clubs. Of course they'll only leave if we can find a satisfying solution for all parties involved. If that's not possible, they will stay and the coach has already said he will then count on them. The fact that we have publicly stated that the players can leave won't lead to a devaluation of the price since the market is transparent and everyone knows everything."

In relation to the incoming transfers, Soriano said that those will partly depend on the transfers of the three mentioned player but that there are no spending limits with exception of the common sense: "Paying 90 million euro for Cristiano Ronaldo or whatever player is an example of what is not common sense."

A centre forward is the priority and the club will only take into consideration football arguments: "The situation in 2003 was different but because we're now an economically healthy top team, we don't need to buy a major name. We're not worried about the sales of our shirts."

Read more:

Barcelona vice president confirms triplet exit

A first look at the Guardiola project

Ronaldinho talks upcoming

Deco and Marquez represented by superagent

British newspaper The Independent had last week an interesting profile of Portuguese player's agent Jorge Mendes, who is currently representing Barcelona players Deco and Márquez.










How Mendes has made himself key player behind the biggest deals in Europe

Scolari's move to Chelsea is just the latest multi-million pound move to be brokered by the Portuguese superagent.

When Jorge Mendes was asked to write a column for the Portuguese sports daily, O Jogo, during the European Championship, the title that was originally suggested, somewhat jokingly, was "My Millions". Mendes said no to that, instead agreeing to the column being called "The Value of Euros" which could, even so, be interpreted two ways. It's not just the football competition; it's the currency.

Mendes' name doesn't mean much to the average football fan. But it should. Still just 42, he is one of the most powerful men – maybe in terms of deals the most powerful man – in the game. Mendes is also an agent, a shrewd businessman and a clever media operator with his own management company, website, which employs full-time journalists, and contacts that spread from his Portuguese base throughout the world, particularly in the valuable markets of South America.

Pini Zahavi has long been regarded as the number one super-agent but, this summer, as with last year, Mendes' name is being mentioned by the biggest clubs in Europe as the man with the greater influence. He has just taken Jose Mourinho to Internazionale and Luiz Felipe Scolari to Chelsea to make the pair the highest-paid club managers in world football.

That Mendes has found time to write a column is astonishing. He has been, and is set to continue to be, the busiest agent in the business and makes many millions indeed. Having been allowed by Scolari to have access to the Portugal team hotel during the European Championship, Mendes has been a visible presence at the opulent lakeside complex as he looks after his clients and plots their futures.

Referred to as a "tranquil oasis" in the hotel blurb, the Beau Rivage in Neuchâtel has been anything but that for Mendes. Not only has he schemed to get Scolari to Stamford Bridge but he is also at the heart of deciding what will happen to his star client, Cristiano Ronaldo, who wants to move to Real Madrid. Then there is Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Ricardo Quaresma. The list goes on.

Not a single player, it seems, leaves Portugal, or moves clubs, without Mendes being involved and it has already been calculated, probably correctly, that Scolari's squad is the most valuable in the tournament on the transfer market. And Mendes represents the eight biggest names.


Read the full story here


Read more:
Deco chooses Chelsea over Inter
Marquez offered to Atlético Madrid
Deco could swap places with Lampard or Gattuso

Barcelona vice president confirms triplet exit

Barcelona sports vice president Marc Ingla (picture) has confirmed the planned exits of Barcelona players Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Deco (read more here) in an interview with Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio and says they will probably leave before August:

"After having talked with them, I think it's very unlikely they will still be part of the squad by then. All three are very prestiguous and attractive players and they are talking with several clubs where they could continue their career. I don't think there will be a problem to transfer them. Interesting offers are coming in."

Ingla denied two concrete rumours: "Los Angeles Galaxy did not make any offer for Ronaldinho. At this moment, Manchester City has the most chances to sign him. And I cannot confirm that Deco will join Chelsea cause we didn't yet receive an offer from that club."

Ingla added that the board will try to close all incoming transfer deals before July the 6th, the day on which the vote of no confidence against the current board will be held.

Read more:

Record MLS offer for Ronaldinho

Guardiola presented

Scolari will take Deco with him to Chelsea

A first look at the Guardiola project

During his official presentation (read more here), new Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola expressed his first ideas about the team, the players, the transfers and the way of playing.

On the system: "We have to go after each game, I'm an absolute fan of attacking football. If I see the ball close to the opposite goal, I'm more relaxed. I've read that we're only buying defenders, but we'll attack better when we have a better defence. We'll play with three guys up front and midfielders who are pushing forward."

On the attitude: "I believe in talent and hard work. I want to see the team running. People should be proud cause they see the players are giving everything on the pitch. I want every player, also the forwards, to feel partly guilty when the opponent scores a goal. I can forgive them if they play bad, but not if they don't work."

On the transfers: "I'm sure I'll be offered a great squad. I cannot do everthing on my own. It's me who is in charge of the transfers, I'm the one who takes the decisions. But I'm not the one who pays and signs the players. For us, it's clear which players we want to sign and which players we want to let go. Márquez is part of my plans."

On Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Deco: "All the players who were a part of last season's squad are great players. With the technical department we're now composing a new squad and in doing so, we're not thinking about Deco, Ronaldinho and Eto'o. But we'll see how things go. After analizing their performances and other issues, I think an exit would be the best for the team.

If I would feel that Ronaldinho would really want to return to be the player he once was, he could be here. But he has the circumstances against him. The situation is getting worse and I want to make a strong dressing-room. That's the basic thing. If those players would stay in the end, I will give everything to bring them back to their top level."

On the transfers of forwards: "I'm looking for a centre forward who is complementary to Henry and Bojan. All three should feel first choice. The names who are out there in the papers are all good players. We're considering the transfer of a wing attacker but if it's not possible, that's not a problem. The priority is a centre forward. Although he seems a very good player to me, I wouldn't find Cristiano Ronaldo a place in the team."

On the Barcelona B players: "We'll take five to seven players to the pre-season training camp. We'll see how the squad will be composed and then we'll decide who's going to stay."

On the training sessions: "The day before and the day after each game, the training session won't be public."