Koeman lifts the lid on Pjanic and Umtiti's Barcelona future; heaps the praise on Coutinho

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman addressed various concerns about some of his players, including Philippe Coutinho, who has been offered a chance to shine at Barcelona. However, not such great news about Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti was shared by Koeman as he said that the club is looking to get them off the books due to financial situation. However, Coutinho will not be playing the Blaugrana's next match as he has not trained enough.

Speaking at a press conference in the build-up to their match against Athletic Club, Koeman said that Coutinho will not be playing the next game as he needs to train for another week with the players before being called up. The Dutchman added that he does count on Coutinho as he is an important player.

"Philippe is out because I think he needs one more week to train with the group before being called up. I do count on him because he is a great player. He can be important for Barca. He started playing last year, then he had an injury. I really count on Coutinho for this season," said Koeman.

Koeman brands Coutinho as a versatile player

The Barcelona coach said that Coutinho is one of the many players who can help the team in coping with the departure of Lionel Messi. Koeman also praised Coutinho for his versatility. He said, 

"Coutinho can play in various positions. He can play from the left-wing. We have lost goals with Messi and we have to look for them in other players. Philippe is one of them."

Umiti and Pjanic look to be on their way out

There was some not-so-great news for two players, Samuel Umiti and Miralem Pjanic who are said to be on their way out of the club owing to the current financial crisis at Barcelona.

Koeman addressed this issue and called it "complicated", saying,

"There are players like them who have a very difficult time having minutes, but the final decision is always on the part of the players. They have a complicated position, yes."

The Barca coach also spoke about Martin Braithwaite, who has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, grabbing a brace and an assist in their first match of the season against Real Sociedad. Koeman said that there are other clubs interested in Braithwaite as he has shown that he is important to Barcelona.

"We know the situation of the club, if there is interest in him, we listen. He showed that he is important to the team. I love working with him. Disciplined, he accepts his role. For me, I think that he has to stay.”

Barcelona's financial crisis

FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has come out and said that the club is in a €1.35 billion debt and that the current net worth of the club is minus €451 million. The club has been in financial turmoil for a while now and Laporta believes the cause of it is his predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, who held the position of president for about six years from January 2014 to October 2020.

Laporta also said that they have a wage bill that represents 103% of the club's total income which represents 20 to 25% more than their competitors. And he also mentioned that Barcelona has a net worth of minus €451 million (£383m/$531m) and debt of €1.35 billion (£1.15bn/$1.59bn).

 (Image Credits: AP)