Andoni Zubizarreta has defended Barcelona’s decision to sign Jeremy Mathieu after eyebrows were raised over the defender’s age.
Mathieu turns 31 in October but that has not stopped Barca paying Valencia €20m and signing the Frenchman to a four-year contract with the option for a fifth.
It has been argued that Barca should have looked to a younger player in an effort to build for the future but Zubi told a Press conference that Mathieu still has plenty to offer.
“A 30-year-old player is not finished. He’s in excellent physical condition,” Marca reports the sporting director as insisting.
“The goal is to have a left-sided centre-back in the team and he can help in that position.
“He’s bold, understands tactics, is good with the ball and can play our football. Besides having defensive strength he knows how to use the ball.
“He has the grounding, knows what this means and knows the pressure of playing at Camp Nou.”
Regarding the fee, Zubizarreta admitted it was a lot of money but insisted that’s the reality of the transfer window, and that Barca are well under budget.
“With the business plan we had, we’re well within what we thought. We’re where we wanted to be,” he continued.
“Mathieu’s very personal characteristics helped during the negotiation. But fees are disproportionate.
“We decided last year not to incorporate a centre-back. We thought Carles Puyol could do it, something we decided with the Coach.
“This year Mathieu’s evolution as a centre-back and our need for a centre-back meant this was the way to meet expectations.”
