New Chelsea signing Marc Guiu reveals reasons behind Barcelona exit

He took just 33 seconds to score on his Barcelona debut, with the winner against Athletic Club

Becky Ashton
Monday 05 August 2024 06:27 EDT
Comments
(Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chelsea’s new striker Marc Guiu says his move to England was all about playing in the Premier League and not about money. The 18-year-old joined from Barcelona after the Blues triggered a £5m release clause in his contract, a move he described as a dream.

“I’ve always dreamt of playing in the Premier League and Chelsea is a great club with a lot of history,” he said.

“It was a tough decision but it was an amazing opportunity, so I had to go for it.”

The Spaniard has made four appearances for Chelsea during their preseason tour of the USA, scoring once in the 3-0 win over Club America - and he believes he is ready to make a name for himself in the Premier League.

“I think I’m ready. We work very hard every day both on and off the pitch, on the physical aspect and the practical. So I think I’m ready to be on the pitch and help the team when I’m needed,” he said.

“Maresca told me there was an amazing sporting project full of young talent, that he wanted me to be a part of it and that he had a lot of faith in me and my skills and capabilities.”

Guiu made just seven appearances for Barcelona but he took just 33 seconds to announce his arrival, when he scored the winning goal against Athletic Club, in October after coming on as a late substitute. He also scored in a 3-2 Champions League defeat at Royal Antwerp.

He was the top scorer for Spain at last summer’s Uefa European Under-17 Championship, before making the step up to represent his country at the Under-19 age group last season.

The youngster will be hoping to get another chance to impress when Chelsea face Real Madrid, in the final match of their US tour, at midnight on Tuesday.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in