Braithwaite says he didn't feel pressured by Barça after Espanyol move

RCD Espanyol striker Martin Braithwaite denied being pressured by Barcelona to leave the club this summer. "I don't know if I took it as bullying, but I didn't feel pressured to go," he told Danish media.

Braithwaite was signed from Leganes in 2020 but told by Xavi to find a new club while the club wanted to rescind his contract, which led to criticism from the Danish Association of Footballers, whose president said the forward had been "bullied."

"I knew for a while I had to leave," Braithwaite said. "I wanted to play football and the coach did not believe in me, so I there was nothing else for it. There were moments when I thought I could change things, but others when you realise it is not possible."

The former Barça man has made a quick start at Barça's rivals Espanyol, scoring two goals in three games, and he says the move came down to several factors.

"Espanyol was the offer which most attracted me, it was perfect," he added. "The most important for me was the project and the next step in my career. But at the same time, I could stay in Barcelona with the family, the kids could stay at the same school. That helped."