Before Thursday’s La Liga match against Almeria, FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez made it clear that he didn’t want Vitor Roque to join the team when he completed his move.
At the beginning of 2024, Vitor Roque arrived in Catalonia after Barca and Athletico Paranaense reached an agreement for a summer move that, should the forward meet many goals, could be worth over $60 million.
As things stand, this doesn’t appear realistic because Xavi only allows the Brazilian to play 310 minutes, and AS correspondent Javi Miguel said Xavi doesn’t think the player is “Barca level.”
When asked why the adolescent’s life has gone as it has so far, Xavi stated on Wednesday that Vitor Roque was supposed to remain in his own country and “keep growing”.
“The fact that Gavi and Alejandro Balde were injured made it possible to bring him in January.”
We believed it to be the best course of action for his training. There is an argument that I find incomprehensible. He is an emerging player. I realise that there are players who are ahead of him. “He’s been around young football players his entire life,” Xavi continued.
These remarks, which essentially amount to Xavi conceding that he didn’t want Vitor Roque this season, coincide with a story from Carrusel Deportivo indicating that the forward will be sent away, ideally on loan, because the squad doesn’t have room for him in its 2024–2025 plans.
