Koeman reveals why Luuk de Jong is better than Neymar for Barcelona

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman believes Luuk de Jong is better suited for Barcelona than Neymar.

The Catalans signed the Dutch striker on a loan deal from Sevilla on deadline day.

The 31-year-old striker previously played under Koeman for Netherlands.

Koeman told NOS (via Marca): “When there’s a cross coming in, Luuk is more dangerous than Neymar.

“He’s a different kind of forward to what we have, and I think all teams should have one like him.”

“I told the club last year. I wanted to be able to change my forwards.

“If the game calls for someone like Luuk, then he’ll play.

Koeman went on to reveal that Antoine Griezmann’s departure allowed him to sign de Jong.

“We lost Griezmann on the last day of the window and only had three forwards,” he added.

“I first made contact with Luuk on August 8 and, even before that, I wondered why Barcelona didn’t have a guy like that.”

Our View

Koeman’s desire to sign de Jong is difficult to understand.

The Dutch striker scored 19 goals in 94 games for Sevilla before joining Barcelona.

He is already 31-years-old and is nowhere near the top forwards in Europe at the moment.

While de Jong offers a different dynamic, there are plenty of questions over his quality.

Barcelona have been one of the most stylish footballing teams in Europe over the past decade.

They have produced various brands of attractive football, which have delivered plenty of silverware.

Unfortunately, Koeman has not achieved either fate to date.

Koeman has undoubtedly put pressure on de Jong with his comments.

The player will have to adjust to his new club quickly and start performing at a high level.

No one will expect de Jong to play like Neymar, but he must deliver plenty of goals for Koeman to be proved right.

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