Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen has commented on his lack of playing time.
Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen has told Ziggo in his native Netherlands that he isn’t happy with his lack of playing time – but won’t fight with the club over it.
When Barca sold Claudio Bravo to Manchester City in 2016, they needed another goalkeeper to challenge Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, and they landed Cillessen from Ajax.
With almost 150 appearances for Ajax, Cillessen’s decision to essentially sit on the bench behind Ter Stegen seemed strange, and that’s exactly how it has turned out.
The Dutch international has played just one league game for Barcelona and only 20 in all competitions, with the 29-year-old now unsurprisingly unhappy.
Cillessen has told Ziggo in his native Netherlands that he loves Barca but wants to play more regularly, and whilst he won’t fight the club, they know that he wants to play more football.
“I love this club, but I am a professional and I want to play more than ten games in a season,” said Cillessen. “The management already knows that I want to play more, but I also read that they do not want me to leave and that they are happy with my work. I am not the type of player who goes to war with the clubs, I have been here for two years, and, for the moment, I will continue,” he added.
Cillessen’s comments come just weeks after Mundo Deportivo reported that Liverpool have held talks with Barcelona about a deal for Cillessen this summer, and if Jurgen Klopp really is keen, then his hopes will have been boosted.
Yet, with Loris Karius nailing down the first-choice spot recently, Liverpool’s interest in Cillessen may not be as strong as the Catalan media reported, and it remains to be seen whether the Reds do attempt to prise him away from the Camp Nou.
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