Emerson Royal ‘Hurt’ By Nature Of Barcelona Exit
Emerson Royal has expressed remorse at the way Barcelona signed and sold him in the same transfer window.
The Brazil international was signed by Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day for £26m barely two months after joining Barcelona from Real Betis for £8m.
Emerson played in all three of Barcelona’s La Liga games this season and thought his future at the Camp Nou was assured.
However, Barcelona’s financial predicaments which has seen them offload a number of players including Lionel Messi forced them to move Emerson on to make some profit.
"I thought that the club wanted me to stay. I played the Sunday as a starter, they day after I woke up and I went to training relaxed,” the 22-year-old opened up to Marca.
"There I already started to see that there were many things happening, that Tottenham spoke with Barcelona, that they had almost done it.
"I didn’t understand anything that was happening because I didn’t know anything.
"By the afternoon, the club called me because they wanted to speak with me and there they told me they wanted to sell."
"I met with the directors of the club. They started to tell me that the situation of the club wasn’t good, that I came in a complicated time and that for that reason it was better to sell.
"I repeated my intention to stay because I had a dream of playing here and contribute to Barcelona. I know that in my best form I was going to triumph here.
"I am smart and I realised in that moment, no matter what I said I was out. They were kicking me out with good words.
"I have the ambition to play. I could say that I am a footballer with a contract and I could have said I am staying, but I am a person who wants to be happy.
"I don’t want to stay at a club that I love but being sad. I knew their thoughts were that I don’t stay, without saying it.
"Then, I decided to leave. I said that I don’t want to stay and be sad."
He added: "Used is not the word, but it hurt me in the way it happened.
"They could have acted in another way. There were better ways to fix things.
"When I arrived I was sure that Barcelona did not want to sell me, but seeing what happened I am clear that when they signed me they already had the idea of selling me in mind."
