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LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig has hit out at Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez for his role in handling the departure of unwanted Blaugrana players in the ongoing transfer window.
Puig, who rose through the ranks of the Catalan giants, left Barcelona to join the Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit on a free transfer earlier this summer. The 23-year-old registered two goals and three assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for his former club.
Last month, Puig was excluded from the club's pre-season tour of the United States along with goalkeeper Neto, defenders Oscar Mingueza and Samuel Umtiti, and striker Martin Braithwaite.
Speaking to Fox (via Mirror) after his LA Galaxy debut, Puig opened up about his final few months at his boyhood club. He said:
"The truth is that it has been a pretty hard few months because I had never seen the club leave players in Barcelona and not let them go on tour with them."
He continued:
"Maybe I am misunderstanding the situation of the club and that they are wanting to pressure the players to leave, but it should have been done in another way. The truth is that it was painful to be in training alone with four teammates who were also with me."
He also opened up about his exit and said:
"Yes, huge disappointment. And even more so after seven years at the club. This is a coach [Xavi] who has also been at the club for a long time. Being here in Barcelona while all my teammates were in Los Angeles playing games, it hurt me a lot. It was a very complicated situation, sometimes you have to make decisions. I don't share the thoughts of the club."
Apart from Puig, the La Liga outfit have also parted ways with Neto, Mingueza, Philippe Coutinho, Dani Alves, Moussa Wague and Rey Manaj this summer. Umtiti is close to securing a loan move to Serie A side Lecce, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Barcelona reach agreement to terminate Memphis Depay's contract
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona forward Memphis Depay is on the verge of joining Juventus. The Catalan club and the player's camp have reached an agreement over the termination of the Dutchman's contract.
Depay joined the Blaugrana on a free transfer from Lyon in the summer of 2021. He scored 13 goals and contributed two assists in 38 matches across all competitions last campaign.
