De Jong talks Pedri, Flick, Koeman, salary, captaincy, objectives after renewal with Barcelona | OneFootball

Earlier today, Barcelona put an end to a long-standing saga in Frenkie de Jong’s renewal and the player put pen to paper on his new deal that sees him at the club until 2029.

His previous contract was set to expire in the summer, drawing rumours of him possibly leaving as a free agent. In the end, however, it was clear that the player never really considered leaving as an option.

As part of his new deal, in fact, his release clause has also seen a sizeable bump from €400 million to €500 million.

De Jong’s interview

Speaking to the club’s media via Mundo Deportivo after signing his renewal until 2029, the Dutchman opened up on several topics including his time at the club so far, his aspirations and the details of his new contract.

He began by emphasising how it was always his dream to play for Barcelona and how he valued every day of his time at the club to the fullest.

“As I’ve always said, I’ve always dreamed of playing for Barça. Now that I’m living that dream I want to follow it for many more years and get more titles.”

“I’ve always wanted to be at Barça, now that I am, I want to continue as much as possible. I feel very good in the club, in the city, with the colleagues, with the board of directors, I want to be much more,” he added.

Elaborating on what it meant to him and his family to sign a renewal, De Jong said,

“It means a lot, as a child I dreamed of playing at Barça and now that I’m here, I want to stay as long as possible. It’s a very happy day, both my family and I.”

Speaking on his value within the dressing room and whether he felt undervalued, the midfield star said,

“No, for the teammates, and in the club, I don’t feel undervalued. That’s more your thing [the media].”

On the hectic schedule

The midfielder then opened up on how the club has faced several injury setbacks during the ongoing international break, and understandably so given the hectic schedule.

“It is true that during the international break, and especially more at this time, there are more injuries than normal. But I love playing with Holland, just like I love playing with Barça. There is little rest between games.”

When asked if he would like to play less with the international team as a possible solution to the hectic calendar, he said,

“It’s hard to comment. I think each player has it differently.”

“I have a good relationship with Koeman, I can always talk to him, but if you see it upside down, they only have two or three games for us, and they are thinking of using us in those two or three games. It’s complicated, I don’t think we can change much,” he added on his situation.

On his upcoming time with Barcelona

The topic of conversation then moved to the future and what it holds for De Jong, beginning with the financial implications of his renewal.

“I’m not going to say what I’m going to earn. It has always been exaggerated a lot and that has affected how people have seen me.”

“If people read that in the newspapers, that if Frenkie is the highest paid, it has been your fault. I’m happy to have renewed for Barça,” he added, blaming the media for the false portrayal of his salary.

The player then spoke on what he can improve as he steps into his new contract, to which he humbly said,

“In all aspects of the game. I keep working as I have always done and see if I can improve more.”

The Dutchman also opened up on his aspirations at Barcelona and what he dreamt of winning.

“I signed for the club I dreamed of as a child and now I hope to be here for ten years and be able to win the Champions League and as many titles as possible.”

“I want to be here for many years and win many titles, right now I’m excited about the sports project with such good and so young players,” he added when reminded that he was the club’s eighth highest placed foreigner in terms of minutes.

Staying on the topic of records, he also spoke on being the team’s second most prominent Dutch player in history only after Philip Cocu.

“I’m still second, but if all goes well I’ll probably be first. Very proud of that because there have been several players from Holland here and I just need to win a couple more things.”

On his experience at Barcelona

Finally, De Jong openly spoke about several facets of his time at the club so far, beginning with the manager who had the biggest impact on him.

“It’s difficult, I debuted with Valverde, then as I said, I have a very good relationship with Koeman, everyone has helped me. The smartest thing would be to tell Hansi that I have him now, everyone has helped me.”

He was then asked if he was currently enjoying his best time at the club since his arrival.

“I can’t say if it’s my best moment, but I’m doing very well, very comfortable and confident.”

De Jong was then asked about how it felt playing with Pedri week in and week out, to which he said,

“I have not only been lucky enough to play now with Pedri, but also for many years with Busquets.”

He also addressed the topic of Barcelona playing a league game overseas, something he openly spoke against in a recent interview.

“We are players and in the end we have to play anywhere.”

As one of the captains of the team, De Jong has great responsibility within the dressing room, and he spoke in depth about the same.

“It is a great pride to be among the captains of Barça. I try to set the best example and give advice to people who want to receive it.”

“I’m not going to change because I’ve always been like this, but you realise that your voice has more weight in the locker room,” he added.

De Jong then addressed the topic of the team’s return to the Spotify Camp Nou, saying,

“I really want to go back to Camp Nou, with all our people. I don’t know the date, but we can’t wait.”

In the end, the player closed by giving the team’s objectives for the season ahead.

“The goals are the same as every year, to win all possible matches and titles. We have a squad to win all the titles and see if we can get them.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo