Posted on October 26, 2021 at 4.30 p.m. by Bernard Colas
Arriving at OM this summer, Konrad de la Fuente took advantage of his time on journalist Gerard Romero's Twitch channel to comment on his decision to leave FC Barcelona and his first months in Marseille.
Pablo Longoria promised change at the start of the summer, and the president of OM kept his word by getting their hands on eleven reinforcements in total. Konrad de la Fuente is one of the new faces of the Marseille club this season, he who studied at the FC Barcelona training center.. Lacking playing time with the Blaugrana, the American winger decided to leave the club behind to join Marseille , a choice that has paid off so far since Jorge Sampaoli trusts his summer rookie, author of two assists in Ligue 1 since his debut at OM . Asked by the Spanish journalist Gerard Romero on Twitch, Konrad de la Fuente recognizes that this departure from Barça was inevitable.
“I decided to leave”
“It was I who decided to leave, for six months I had been talking about it with my representatives, being realistic, it was going to be difficult to have interesting playing time in the first team. The difference is there. I played more than 500 minutes, it's only October, I'm 20 years old. At Barça, I probably wouldn't have played so much. It wouldn't have been the same. I don't know what (Ronald) Koeman thought of me. I spent last season with them, but I hardly played (3 appearances with the first team in all competitions, note). I was happy to be there and to train with the best. I learned a lot. It was a good experience, ”explains Konrad de la Fuente, who has appeared eleven times this season. However, the US international remains attached to FC Barcelona, to the point that a return to Camp Nou in the coming years is not to be excluded for him: “I am very ass (supporter of Barça, note), you never know the future, I am focused on my season here, the rest, we will see later. “
” I have adapted quite well “
In the meantime, Konrad de la Fuente is taking advantage of this new chapter of his career at OM , with the help of his teammates. “I adapted quite well, very quickly. I have the confidence of the coach and my partners. Here I have adapted well with the Spanish speakers, Alvaro (Gonzalez), Pol (Lirola) and (Leonardo) Balerdi, thank you to them who made me feel very welcome. In the city, I am happy, the language, I spoke the basic words so that helped me ”, he confessed, in remarks relayed by Foot Mercato. However, the former Barça player explains that he was marked by the change in coaching with Jorge Sampaoli , known for not giving any gift to his protégés: “He's very good but also very demanding, it's tactical work every day. During the preparation, I was afraid with the double sessions, starting at 8 am, training of two and a half hours, one hour in the hall … and matches during the week. It was difficult. “ Konrad de the Fuente will now have to confirm over the season all the hopes placed in him.