DBasia.news – The 2022 summer transfer window has long been over, but the interesting story of Frenkie de Jong and also some of the players involved have surfaced.
It is quite interesting as De Jong kept silent when the transfer market was still open, while news about him appeared every day. The Barcelona midfielder has been linked with Manchester United, Chelsea and even Liverpool.
Of the three, Man United wanted him the most as he was Erik ten Hag’s direct request at Man United and had worked together at Ajax Amsterdam. An agreement on the price has long been reached between the two teams.
However, De Jong did not budge with his determination to stay, one of the reasons is football in the Champions League. But there is also news that the 25-year-old player will have to cut his salary if he stays.
The news continued to emerge until the end of the 2022 summer transfer window. Now the transfer has passed and De Jong, speaking to NOS, the reason behind his insistence on staying with the club he has been with since 2019.
“I decided in May that I wanted to stay. So I was very calm. Now I feel welcome at the club. Nothing has changed with my team-mates,” stated De Jong.
De Jong also spoke about Xavi Hernandez’s lack of playing time.
“I didn’t start against Bayern in the Champions League. You want to play important games. When I played less I realized it. Not so much in terms of the technical aspect because you still know how to play football, but more than that in the physical aspect.” Added De Jong.
So far, De Jong has only started four of Barcelona’s eight matches in all competitions. Tight competition occurs in his position as a midfielder, besides that Xavi also often makes him a central defender on several occasions.