Juan Roman Riquelme has been discussing the transfer to Brighton & Hove Albion since Valentin Barco triggered the release clause in his contract in January.
He is quite dissatisfied with his former starlet’s departure to the Seagulls, and the former Argentina international’s argument continued this week.
According to TNT Sports, Brighton’s Barco invoked his release clause ‘following a quarrel’ with Boca Juniors, causing resentment among the club’s supporters and directors.
Riquelme informed D Sports that they intended to prolong his contract for a time. We were confident that the youngster was maturing and had a lot to learn. We still don’t know if he’s a fullback or a winger.”
When the player first arrived at Brighton, Roberto De Zerbi emphasized that Barco would not be starting right away, as he needed time to adjust to his new nation and squad.
This seemed to gratify Riquelme, who believes he was proven correct by the Seagulls boss.
He continued, “When we indicated he needed to keep developing, we had to deal with certain people telling us we were incorrect. Now the Brighton manager says so, which is OK. “That’s what happens.”
The Boca president then sent an indirect snipe to Barco by comparing how Alan Varela handled his transfer to Porto, as the midfielder is linked with a major move away from Portugal.
He added: “It will be welcome for the youngster; he is a marvel as a person, and he accomplished it the right way as a footballer: he played more than 100 games in his youth club, won five titles, and traveled to Europe, to a good league that will allow him to continue improving.
“It’s not like Italy or Spain. Portugal offers you time. You can tell he’s having fun and is happy.”
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