Player looking to calm situation after controversial Brighton transfer – Sends message to fans and club

Valentin Barco has moved to calm the situation at former club Boca Juniors, as he flies out to link up with Brighton and Hove Albion.

TyC cover comments from the player today as he flew to link up with the Seagulls following his move in the January transfer window.

The young defender was snapped up by Brighton in January in something of a controversial transfer following months of speculation about his future.

Roberto de Zerbi’s side had initially tried to negotiate a deal with Boca for the player but found the Argentine giants not only resistant to their efforts but in some parts hostile.

It meant that Brighton eventually just activated the player’s release clause to get him, something that infuriated Boca, who felt the clause was not a fair representation of the player’s value and thus felt that they had been short changed.

The move led to a simmering tension between the relevant parties since, with Boca president Juan Roman Riquelme even criticising Barco publicly.

Barco has now looked to ease those tensions by praising his former club and thanking them for what they’ve done to get him to this point.

“I am very happy for this step, grateful to all the Boca fans, the club and the leaders for all these years that I lived,” he said.

“Boca is everything to me, they gave me everything from the beginning. I came to the club when I was nine, it’s a lifetime.”