JAKARTA - Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman revealed on Wednesday that he already has a list of players he will buy and release in the January transfer window. On that occasion, he also stated that the financial situation of his club which is again difficult means that he will not get the players he wants personally.
While Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is likely to repeat his policy of not buying new players and not selling players, Koeman has made it clear that he wants to get new players to help his team recover from the worst start since the 1987-1988 season.
"Every coach always sees January as an opportunity to improve his squad and I do, too," he said at a press conference ahead of the match against Athletic Bilbao reported by Antara, Wednesday, January 6.
"What I do is make plans for players who can leave and a list of players who will be interesting to bring in. However, it depends on the club," he continued.
And it seems that Barcelona cannot fully comply with the request for funding from its coach because the new COVID-19 pandemic has hit the club's revenue stream. Barca were also recently forced to announce that the club should postpone the payment of player wages for January.
Carles Alena looks set to become the first player Koeman has invited to leave Barcelona after the midfielder has been said to have been allowed to find a new team on loan. Spanish media later reported that he had agreed to loan to Getafe.
Barca are fifth in the table after 28 points from 16 matches, and 10 behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
However, the Catalan club have one game more left, losing 0-1 in their last two matches against Athletic in all competitions and the last time they scored in a 2-0 win in 2017.
Athletic Bilbao itself ranks ninth with 21 points from 17 matches. They will play their first game under new coach Marcelino, who has fond memories of his last match against Barcelona when his former Valencia beat Barca 2-1 in the 2019 Copa del Rey final.
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