Dani Alves: Pedro should’ve stayed

Barcelona defender says ex-teammate should’ve stayed at Nou Camp

Barcelona right-back Dani Alves believes his former teammate Pedro should’ve stayed at the Nou Camp rather than leave for Chelsea in the summer.

The Spanish winger concluded a 10 year spell at the club when he left for Stamford Bridge to the tune of £22million. He had been struggling for first team action in Spain, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez often getting picked ahead of him.

However, last week he did state he was happy with his decision to leave,

He said: “When someone gets to play, they gain rhythm, confidence, you’re happier, you try out more things.

“Leaving Barca was tough for me but I’m happy with the change.”

However, right-back Alves is adamant the 28-year-old should have remained at the club.

He said: “I told Pedro he should have stayed at the team but too many people got involved.

“Had he stayed he would have been happy here but we don’t make the decisions. If we did I would want him to stay for years.”

By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10