Braithwaite: I want to look back and say I played in one of the best Barca teams in history

BetOdds Barcelona Martin Braithwaite Primera División

The Danish striker is confident he has a long-term future at Camp Nou, and has already set his sights on major trophies

Martin Braithwaite says he wants to be a part of one of the "best teams in a generation" at Barcelona, and that he is willing to put in the work to enjoy a successful career in Catalonia.

The Blaugrana were forced to look for extra attacking reinforcements after losing Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele to long-term injuries at the start of the year.

Barca were granted permission by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to complete an emergency signing outside of the transfer window, but were only allowed to target free agents or players already plying their trade in La Liga.

In the end, it was Braithwaite who ended up completing a controversial €18 million (£16m/$20m) switch to Camp Nou from Leganes, putting pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract which reportedly includes a €300m (£252m/$324m) buy-out clause.

The 28-year-old striker only featured in three matches for Barca before the 2019-20 season was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, and questions are already being asked over his future at the club.

The Spanish champions have been heavily linked with Inter's Lautaro Martinez in recent weeks, while Neymar has been touted for a return to Camp Nou from Paris Saint-Germain.

Braithwaite could fall way down the squad pecking order under Quique Setien if either transfer comes to fruition, but the Denmark international is adamant that he still has an important role to play in the coming years.

"I am sure I am going to stay even more than four-and-a-half years that's how I see it in my head," he told ESPN. "Right now, I just want to go and play and enjoy and win titles with this team because that's what I am here to do.

"For me, at Barcelona, I am looking at all these legendary players that played here, and all the periods where they had some of the best teams, and for me, one of the goals is to be able to say I played in one of the best Barca teams in a generation.

"I want people to be able to look back at the team I played in and say 'Yeah, that was one of the best teams there have been in Barca's history.' That's a huge motivation for me and it comes with a lot of hard work, but I am willing to put in the work. I am just excited."

Braithwaite added on how well Leganes dealt with his move to Barca: "I cannot speak highly enough of that club. It was really special for me and the way they treated me when I had to leave, sometimes when you leave a club, you can leave with mixed feelings, but they totally understood me.

"They said this is a chance, one chance in a lifetime, so you have to take it. They would have done the same. Of course, they felt it was not fair they could not go out and get a replacement, which I understand, but at the end of the day they were really, really nice to me."

2020-04-22 18:00:04

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