Barca's Koeman has list of transfer targets and departures
RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT
VIDEO SHOWS: BARCELONA TEAM TRAINING SESSION AND NEWS CONFERENCE WITH BARCELONA COACH RONALD KOEMAN
SHOWS: BARCELONA, SPAIN (JANUARY 5, 2021) (BARCA TV - MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO)
1. BARCELONA SQUAD WALKING ONTO TRAINING PITCH
2. BARCELONA FORWARD, LIONEL MESSI, WALKING ONTO PITCH
3. SQUAD GATHERING ON PITCH
4. BARCELONA COACH, RONALD KOEMAN, WITH CLIPBOARD ON PITCH
5. SQUAD WARMING UP
6. SQUAD MEMBERS, INCLUDING MIDFIELDER, FRENKIE DE JONG, AND MESSI, WARMING UP
7. FORWARD, ANTOINE GRIEZMANN (SCARF ON TOP OF HIS HEAD) WARMING UP
8. DEFENDER, CLEMENT LENGLET, WARMING UP
9. FORWARD, MARTIN BRAITHWAITE (STOCKING HAT), AND MIDFIELDER, MIRALEM PJANIC (SCARF AROUND HIS NECK), WARMING UP
10. MIDFIELDER, SERGIO BUSQUETS, RUNNING SPRINTS
11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, RONALD KOEMAN, ON JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW, SAYING:
"Every team and every coach always looks at the month of January as a chance to improve their squad, how to better the team and I'm the same. All I've done is to come up with a plan of players that could leave and a list of players that it would be interesting to bring in. But it depends on the club if it is possible. If it isn't, we'll stick with the players we have."
12. SQUAD STRETCHING, INCLUDING MESSI
13. GOALKEEPERS, MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN AND NETO TRAINING IN THE NET
14. MESSI RUNNING A FOOTWORK DRILL ALONGSIDE OTHER PLAYERS
15. BRAITHWAITE RUNNING DRILL ALONGSIDE OTHER PLAYERS
16. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, RONALD KOEMAN, ON RECENT POSITIVE COVID-19 RESULTS, SAYING:
"Yes, it is true that I was called yesterday afternoon and told that two people on our staff had tested positive from the tests that we did yesterday morning. And well, we followed La Liga's protocols and suspended this morning's training session and did the PCR (COVID-19 test) again and waited until this afternoon. And we waited and hoped that there wouldn't be anymore positives, in that sense. And fortunately, everyone tested negative in this morning's tests and we were able to train and get ready for tomorrow's match."
17. SQUAD RUNNING A SCRIMMAGE DRILL
18. MESSI, BRAITHWAITE, PJANIC, DE JONG, GRIEZMANN AND OTHERS DURING THE SCRIMMAGE DRILL
19. SQUAD DURING DRILL
20. KOEMAN WATCHING SQUAD TRAIN
21. GRIEZMANN DURING DRILL
22. MORE OF DRILL
23. WHISTLE BLOWN AND END OF DRILL AND WINNING SIGN CHEERING AS LOSING SIDE DROPS TO DO PUSHUPS
24. MORE OF LOSING SIDE DOING PUSHUPS AFTER THE DRILL
STORY: Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman revealed on Tuesday (January 5) that he has made a list of players he wants to add and let go in the January transfer window, whilst acknowledging the club's frail financial situation may not allow him to get the personnel he wants.
While Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane likes to repeat that his squad is the best and needs no additions or departures, Koeman made it clear he would like some new arrivals to help his side recover from their worst La Liga start since 1987-88.
"Every coach always looks at the month of January as a chance to improve their squad and I'm the same," he told a news conference on the eve of their game at Athletic Bilbao.
"All I've done is to come up with a plan of players that could leave and a list of players that it would be interesting to bring in. But it depends on the club."
Barca are unlikely to hand the Dutchman a transfer war chest, however, as the novel coronavirus pandemic has hit their revenues and the club recently announced it had been forced to delay January payments to players.
Carles Alena looks likely to be the first player to head out of the door as Koeman said the midfielder has been given permission to find a new team on loan. Spanish media said he has agreed to join Getafe.
On Monday (January 4) the squad announced two first team staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 forcing Tuesday's training session and news conference to be delayed before the squad could be retested on Tuesday morning.
Koeman said no additional positive results came from Tuesday's tests, allowing them to go ahead with the training session.
Barca, who are fifth on 28 points from 16 games and trail leaders Atletico Madrid by 10 having played a game more, have lost 1-0 on their last two visits to Athletic in all competitions and last scored there in a 2-0 win in 2017.
The Basques are ninth on 21 from 17 matches and will be playing their first game under new coach Marcelino, who has happy memories of his last match against the Catalans when his Valencia side beat them 2-1 in the 2019 Copa del Rey final.
(Production: Kurt Michael Hall)
