Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Deco told they are free to leave Barcelona
Josep Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, has told Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Deco they are free to leave the club.
The club's former midfield idol laid out his plans for the future of the club as he was officially presented as Frank Rijkaard's successor today. All three players have been linked with other clubs and Guardiola has confirmed none of them will be at the Nou Camp next season.
"All of the players in the first-team squad last season are of a very high level," he said. "But with the technical secretary we are forming a squad and Deco, Ronaldinho and Eto'o are not in our minds.
"If I felt that he wanted to be the player he was again, he would be here. But the situation has deteriorated and the solution is to build a strong dressing-room."
Manchester City lead the race for Ronaldinho, the former World Player of the Year, while Deco has been strongly linked to Chelsea since Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed head coach last week. Tottenham Hotspur were reportedly interested in Eto'o earlier in the summer although he has also been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks.
Despite the departures, Guardiola insisted Thierry Henry would remain at the club. "I am looking for a number nine, we need one to complement Henry and Bojan (Krkic). I want the three to feel like first-team starters," he said.
Guardiola was asked about the speculation surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo, but insisted, unlike Real Madrid, he would not be making a move for the Portugal international.
"I wouldn't make a space for him in the team, even though I think he is a very good player," Guardiola added. "We will look at the possibility of bringing in a winger, but if we don't then that's fine; the priority is a number nine," he said. "We are looking for a number nine who scores 60 goals for us."
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