Tag: Frenkie de Jong

Luca de la Torre: Dutch fans called me Frenkie de Jong from Aldi

De la Torre said of the nickname: “I guess it was a compliment”

Luca de la Torre has revealed that his team’s fans in the Netherlands bestowed him with a true backhanded compliment of a nickname.

After leaving Fulham in 2020, the U.S. men’s national team midfielder joined Dutch side Heracles. De la Torre performed well in the Netherlands, earning a move to Spanish outfit Celta Vigo last year.

While in the Netherlands, De la Torre developed a reputation as a central midfielder secure in possession and capable of progressing the ball forward. His style reminded Heracles fans of a certain Dutch international star, causing them to give De la Torre a nickname that could be taken in a few different ways.

“When I was playing in Holland, the fans of the club called me Frenkie de Jong from Aldi,” De la Torre said in an interview with ESPN. “Which is like Frenkie de Jong from a cheap knock-off supermarket. Which I guess was a compliment.”

The 25-year-old also contrasted the level in the Eredivsie to La Liga, after making the same jump that De Jong did in 2019 when he traded Ajax for Barcelona.

“The level of football is higher here obviously, both physically and technically,” De la Torre said.

“As a midfielder when you’re pressing, it’s important to not get beat and to make fouls when you have to. That was something I really had to add to my game when I made this step.”

De la Torre has become an important squad member at Celta Vigo, starting 21 league games since he arrived, including five of six this season.

According to Transfermarkt, Celta Vigo paid just €1.4 million to sign De la Torre from Heracles. Much like a trip to Aldi, that appears to be a bargain.

[lawrence-related id=29007,28958,13996]

Barcelona sure is making a mess of this Frenkie de Jong situation

Frenkie de Jong doesn’t seem like he wants to go to Manchester United. Barcelona is trying to force him out anyway

Barcelona hasn’t exactly been known for its sparkling work in the transfer market in recent seasons.

As the the team’s on-field performances have suffered, the club has found itself in a financial mess of its own making, fueled by expensive and unnecessary transfers like Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann. The nadir came last summer when a tearful Lionel Messi was forced to leave the club he loved because it simply couldn’t afford him.

Now Barcelona has created a new problem through its treatment of another hugely expensive signing in its recent past, Frenkie de Jong.

Barcelona has been active in the transfer market this summer, signing Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen on free transfers, renewing Ousmane Dembélé’s contract, forking out €58 million on Raphinha and continuing to pursue Robert Lewandowski.

Even with the sale of Coutinho to Aston Villa and the loan of Clément Lenglet to Tottenham, Barcelona still has plenty of financial space that it needs to clear.

And that’s where De Jong comes in. The Dutch midfielder has been earmarked as the financial sacrifice that needs to be made for a club that it still deeply in debt.

This week it’s been reported that Barcelona and Manchester United have agreed upon a €85 million deal to send the Dutch international to Old Trafford to play for his former coach at Ajax, Erik ten Hag.

There seems to be a small problem though: De Jong doesn’t want to leave.

A report in Sport this week states that De Jong has told his teammates it’s “impossible” for him to go. Earlier this summer, he told ESPN: “I prefer to stay with Barcelona. Barcelona is just my dream club.”

This all presents a challenge to Barcelona. How can it afford the players it has already signed, and intends to sign, if De Jong stays?

Well, it probably can’t. Kessié and Christensen haven’t even been registered to play yet as the club waits for the other shoe to drop. Now it seems like Barcelona is being forced to play hardball with De Jong. And it could get ugly.

The Athletic has reported that Barcelona has asked De Jong to leave. Now, the club’s sporting director has resorted to publicly calling on the midfielder to take one for the team and pack his bags.

All of this begs a question: Who would want to play for a team like this? The club has been so busy chasing the next shiny object that it’s done things like forcing its captains to take multiple pay cuts, unceremoniously trying to force a talented and perfectly content star player out the door, and, oh yeah, losing the greatest player of all time for nothing.

Barcelona will always have a certain appeal among players. It is, after all, Barcelona. But as its treatment of De Jong has shown, what good is being a player’s dream club if you’re willing to make their stay feel like a nightmare?

[lawrence-related id=4645,4639,4536]