Ronald Koeman tells Barcelona fans ‘don’t believe anything you hear’ after Joan Laporta claimed the Dutchman was treated in hospital for an anxiety attack… as his agent slams the president for a ‘violation of privacy’
- Barcelona boss has sought to calm fears he suffered an anxiety attack this week
- The Dutchman has held talks with chief Joan Laporta over his future at the club
- Laporta said Koeman suffered an ‘episode’ but the coach dismissed the claims
- His agent slammed Laporta for a ‘violation of privacy’ after a routine check-up
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has played down fears he suffered an anxiety this week after going into hospital for a routine check-up.
President Joan Laporta, who is in the process of holding talks with the Dutchman about his future at the Nou Camp, claimed the coach suffered an ‘episode’, but his agent insisted the comments were ‘total nonsense’.
Laporta said at a press conference on Friday: ‘He had an episode that meant he had to go to the hospital, but he’s well. I called him.’
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been slammed for suggesting Ronald Koeman suffered an anxiety attack
Koeman, who suffered a heart attack in 2020, told fans on Twitter: ‘Don’t believe anything you hear. I am healthy, that’s all that matters in life!’
With Koeman’s future still up in the air, Laporta’s words provoked an angry reaction from the manager’s agent Rob Jansen, who insisted he had only been seen by a doctor to check his blood pressure and accused him of a ‘violation of privacy’.
‘It’s total nonsense,’ Jansen told Algemeen Dagblad. ‘A president is not allowed to say things like this at all, that is a violation of privacy.
‘Ronald only had his blood pressure measured. He has had a cardiac catheterization and is therefore checked every now and then. That’s all it is.’
Koeman is engaged in talks with with Laporta over his future as manager at the Nou Camp
The Dutchman is under huge pressure having failed to deliver the LaLiga title in his first year
Koeman’s team have been left furious at Laporta for his conduct in talks with his client – suggesting the club chief was weighing up his options to be the next manager after reports claimed Barca will spend two weeks looking for a new boss.
In a Tweet posted by Koeman’s Wasserman agency – which has since been deleted – it read: ‘Imagine: I want to marry you, but I have doubts. Give me two weeks to find a better partner. If I can’t find the right person, we will get married anyway!’
There has been speculation that Laporta, who returned to the presidency in March, wishes to dispense with the Dutch manager and appoint someone else.
It has led to rumours that he will try and lure Pep Guardiola back to the Nou Camp from Manchester City.
Koeman won the Copa del Rey this term but his side fell short in LaLiga, where they finished third behind champions Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. They were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 by Paris Saint-Germain.
Laporta said: ‘There are no transitional seasons at Barcelona. Due to the admiration we have for Koeman and the respect we have for him as a professional, we said that at the end of the season we would evaluate him.
‘We had a meeting and now we have set a date for next week to finalise the decision. He has one more year on his contract.’
Doubts over Koeman’s position has led to reports that Pep Guardiola could return to the club
‘I want the understanding and acceptance of everyone involved in the project. I can tell Ronald what I think and vice versa; he can tell me, always with respect.
‘I have told him what I had to tell him: that we are evaluating and analysing the season.
‘We have a clear and direct relationship. He is a coach who was already there, he has one more year [left on his contract]’.
