Barcelona: Braithwaite deal "fucked us" says Leganes boss
The Mexican tactician spoke about the controversial deal ahead of his side's six-pointer against Celta: "What do you want me to say? You want me to cry?"
Leganés boss Javier Aguirre is not a man to mince his words and made a forthright opinion on the deal that saw his top scorer, Martin Braithwaite, move to Barcelona with the Cucumber Growers battling relegation and unable to sign a replacement: “They fucked us.”
The Mexican tactician was not so much referring to Barcelona, who acted within LaLiga regulations in signing Braithwaite after meeting his €18m release clause and said through president Josep Maria Bartomeu that the club hoped the system would be reviewed, but the system in general, aiming a barb at the world governing body: “The dressing room is fantastic and I’m even better. At the moment FIFA haven’t prevented us from playing with 11 players or without a keeper, even though they fucked us,” Aguirre said with a chuckle. “Is Braithwaite vital [to Leganés’ survival]? The only thing that matters here is the badge and heart. What do you want me to say? You want me to cry? I have 26 very good players here and it would be a lack of respect to them to say that we’re screwed. We’ll go to Vigo with everything we’ve got, with all our strength.”
Leganés appealing to RFEF to sign Braithwaite replacement
Leganés are currently 19th in LaLiga and have the lowest tally of goals scored in the division, with Braithwaite accounting for a third of their 18 strikes so far this season and Aguirre said that the club were looking into appealing to the Spanish Football Federation about the possibility of also making an out-of-window signing. “The director general has let me know what we’re waiting for an answer. Until that comes, I’ll rely on what I’ve got, which is a good squad in terms of quality and quantity. I’m happy with what I’ve got. We need points and we’ll go to Vigo to get them. We’ll go to win, with 11 players on the pitch and seven on the bench, as the regulations state.”