Barcelona waved goodbye to several players during the summer transfer window, including Marc Casado, Ferran Torres and Ronald Araujo.
Ferran was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth around €50 million and he’s gone on to make a quick impact, most recently scoring a hat-trick in a Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava.
Deco says that Torres asked to leave as he wanted a bigger role and that is why Barcelona decided to sell.
“The players at Barça have to be happy and 100%. I’m happy for him
and his hat-trick,” he told RAC1. “He wanted to go out to be the protagonist. If he asks to leave, we let him out. He contributed a lot. May it go well for PSG.”
Araujo has also moved on, joining Liverpool on a season-long loan, and Deco explained the thought process behind the transfer.
“Yesterday I watched the Liverpool game. I love him. I am fond of him, I want him to succeed,” he added.
“At some point, he has not been able to be at his level. His time at Barça has been spectacular. Sometimes, the ideas are not the same. He has a contract with us, it’s still early.”
And Casado is another player spending the season away at Barcelona after agreeing to join Deportivo on loan, with Deco admitting it is hard to see La Masia graduates move on.
“When there’s a connection, it’s harder to leave. Casado’s contributed a lot. He’s an example of resilience for the young players at La Masia, but that’s football,” he said.
“Not everyone can play. I wish he could spend his whole career here, but there are difficult decisions, and we’ve helped him find solutions. He’s chosen where he wants to go.”
All three players will now be hoping they can impress with their new clubs after deciding to seek a new challenge away from the Camp Nou.
