Barcelona’s conduct in Julian Alvarez talks branded ‘arrogant’ by Spanish pundit

Spanish media figure Roberto Gomez has launched a fierce attack on Barcelona over the club’s alleged approach to Atletico Madrid during negotiations for Argentina striker Julian Alvarez.

Gomez said Barcelona had acted behind Atletico’s back during discussions about Alvarez, describing the club’s conduct as unacceptable and accusing it of behaving in an arrogant and condescending manner.

Speaking on the La Tribu programme on Radio Marca, Gomez said Alvarez had every right to decide his own future but criticised the way Barcelona had handled the matter with Atletico.

“Barcelona manoeuvred behind Atletico’s back, and in a truly despicable way… this is unacceptable in football,” he said.

Gomez added that Barcelona’s actions had been “arrogant”, “conceited” and “condescending”, directing his criticism specifically at the Catalan club’s conduct during the negotiations.

The comments came during a wider discussion in which Gomez also praised the presentation of Rodri as a new Barcelona player, while criticising Real Madrid for allowing the Spain midfielder to leave.

Gomez said he had been particularly impressed by Rodri’s unveiling at Barcelona. He noted that the player had revealed there had previously been contact between himself and officials at Real Madrid before he eventually chose to join the Catalan club.

“I believe Real Madrid made a huge mistake by letting Rodri leave, because he would have added a great deal to their midfield,” Gomez said.

The Spanish media figure spoke highly of Rodri’s quality and achievements, describing him as a world champion and an outstanding player.

“He is a world champion, a wonderful player, in fact the best. We have always appreciated his level, and I wish him all the best in this new stage,” he said.

Gomez’s strongest criticism, however, was reserved for Barcelona’s handling of the Alvarez file. While he maintained that the Argentina forward should be free to choose what happens next in his career, he objected to the manner in which Barcelona allegedly conducted its communications with Atletico.

By contrast, Gomez praised Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for the way he dealt with the same matter. He said Perez was the only person involved who had behaved properly throughout the situation.

“The only person who acted decently in all of this was Florentino Perez,” Gomez said.

According to Gomez’s account, the Real Madrid president first spoke to Alvarez and then contacted Atletico president Enrique Cerezo.

The remarks contrast Gomez’s view of the three clubs’ conduct in the matter: Barcelona was accused of acting behind Atletico’s back, while Perez was praised for communicating with both the player and Atletico’s president.