Ramón Planes: "Ilaix was a wrong decision..."

 The former sports director of Barcelona spoke about his past at the Blaugrana club and gave details about the signing of Pedri: "I risked a lot...".

The former sports director of Barcelona and Getafe, Ramón Planes, gave an interview on Cadena SER's Carrusel Deportivo where he analyzed movements he made in the past at the Blaugrana club. In addition, he also admits that he is negotiating with Betis.

One of the topics that gave more details was the signing of Pedri, today one of the stars in Barcelona. Also of the mistaken decision of Ilaix Moriba. From Abde, from Araujo...

Araújo : “I was much closer to Getafe and Barcelona. He had been following him all season. For me he was a central defender who had great projection. We had spoken with his agents to bring him to Europe. When the option of going to Barça appears, I think he had to come with me there. He came to the first team at Getafe and in Barcelona we did other types of projects, starting with Barça B. I spoke with the representatives, I told them that I am going to Barcelona and that I want to incorporate him into the project”.

transfers: “Abidal, Segura and those people believed in me for operations like those of Pedri, Abde, the latter I called Mateu Alemany and told him that it had to be signed. 'Trust me', I asked. These people have merit. I have been wrong with many players, I say that too. You have to believe in the player. One part is the signing and another is to bet for real. That was the key with Pedri. Pepe Mel was the coach of Las Palmas and he picked up the phone to call Real Madrid and say that there was an unusual player. That same information is received by us. "We have to sign it now," we said. "If the season starts, the whole world will see it." I risked a lot with Pedri, we signed him without having made his debut. I'm not surprised by the quality of it. It is true that all of them later (Pedri, Araújo) must be seen with the passing of the Barça shirt, You don't know that until you put it on. That maturity that he showed in a 17-year-old pandemic Classic... There was Pedri and Ansu in the eleven. I remember that I went down to Koeman's locker room and he told me: 'I'm not going to remove him anymore, he's not going to come out of the eleven, Ramón is very good'.

abde: “I am convinced by his character, his personality, his determination. It is an unknown personality. He gives an image that is a bit of a dork and he is a boy who has a lot of character. He believes in him a lot, he is from a very humble family, he has had a hard time. He sees soccer as a lifeline, as he happens to some South American players. Shameless. That is something that is hard to find. He is signed because before Barcelona transfers to Ilaix. Mateu gives me the OK, the negotiations last almost the entire summer. We started with a very low amount because we were convinced that Hercules was going to sell it. They said no. It got complicated. We even told him to wait. In the end we paid the clause (€2M) two days before. When I arrived, it was the first time that there was talk of sales at Barça. The club sales record was broken. They asked me to be more aggressive in the market. That you couldn't buy players for 70 or 80 million”.

Ilaix : “He is a good example for many players from the Barça academy. I talked a lot with him. I remember the last few weeks that Koeman called him at his office: 'Renew, I'm counting on you'. The first coach is telling you. He is an example of what football is today, the external pressure from other clubs. Of what they sell them. Here it was perfect for Barça, 100%. This has happened and will happen. There are people who make mistakes, and I think that Illaix sees where he is and it was a wrong decision ”.

Future : “It is the public option. It is a good club, serious, with a good project. I see it with very good eyes..."

Pochettino : “The trajectory that has been forged is incredible. Last year at PSG they won Ligue 1 and doing well in the Champions League. He is very qualified to train Real Madrid ”.

Messi : “That marriage with the club should never have been broken. It would be nice if they resumed that relationship. The press conference after the burofax was my turn. It was not a brown, I faced that situation. What happened next was harder. We all thought that he was going to renew…”.