Deco: I'm not worried about Mourinho, we didn't expect Raphinha's explosion, and referees can make mistakes

Barcelona sporting director Deco addressed the latest developments at the Catalan club during his customary visit to the football summit organised by the Portuguese Football Federation.

He spoke to a number of media outlets, among them the newspaper AS, which secured an exclusive interview.

"Julian Alvarez is now in the past," Deco said. "The idea was always to sign an out-and-out striker with flexibility and the ability to take part in building up play, and Julian was one of the players who fitted this profile."

"It was not possible," he continued. "We made an offer, but Atletico Madrid always insisted that they would not sell him, and we had to look for other solutions."

Gabriel Jesus, he explained, had not figured in the plans. "We did not know his situation, as there was a lot of talk about the possibility of renewing his contract with Arsenal. When we decided that signing Julian had become impossible, we started looking for solutions, and Jesus was the ideal option for us."

"Julian is now in the past, and we have to look forward," he stressed. "We are happy with what we have, and I hope he is doing well too, and that he helps his club, and in the end that is what it comes down to."

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Mourinho is one of the best coaches in history
On José Mourinho, the Real Madrid coach, he commented: "It is good to have him in La Liga. As a competitor, he makes things more difficult, but I am happy for him, because I believe he is one of the best coaches in history."
Does Mourinho's personality raise any concern in light of the refereeing controversy? "We are not concerned," he said. "I think we have to focus on ourselves."
He was clear on the issue too. "There will always be refereeing controversies, and there will always be decisions that favour one side, sometimes for one team and sometimes for another, and at times I do not think it is proportionate."
Referees can make mistakes, and Deco accepts as much. "That can happen at some point. VAR technology came to correct many things, but at the same time it sometimes does not correct everything. In any case, refereeing controversies will continue to exist. It is a historical matter in Spain, in Italy and everywhere."
Deco explained: "In the end, we will not be the ones to put an end to this matter. I believe transparency and clarity are always important, but I do not want to get into this aspect. At Barcelona we focus on ourselves, and we will always do everything in our power, and we will try to improve every day. And I cannot comment on what happens on the other side."

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We discovered a new side to Raphinha
He continued: "Was Lautaro close to Barcelona? Lautaro is an icon at Inter Milan, and out of respect for the player and the Italian club, when they told us he was not available for sale, we did not try to advance the deal or speak about it again."
He added: "Jay Gabriel was at Barcelona. Is there any news about him? No, there is nothing to say about this lad. It is always common for certain players to be linked with us, and there are major interests behind that. Even if they are young players, we are not interested in any player. As for his situation, I am not sure what happened. I do not know. He is still a Manchester United player."
He noted: "Raphinha as an out-and-out striker? We are pleased that we have discovered a new side to Raphinha, but what matters most is that he is happy too. Playing this role is different, because sometimes he does not touch the ball constantly, unlike playing on the wing, where you have the ball most of the time, and so the nature of the play changes."
He stressed: "He has to be ready to attack in behind the defenders. We did not expect him to deliver this level of performance, or at least we did not expect him to reach this level, but his quality is exceptional and outstanding, and that is why I believe he is capable of playing in this position."
He concluded: "Joao Cancelo? He has the quality that qualifies him to play in any position. He is one of the best full-backs in the world, and technically, he is one of the most brilliant players of recent years. I believe Barcelona suits him perfectly, because Barcelona at its core relies on technical quality."