Tomas Satoransky, Jan Vesely, Mike Tobey, Nikola Kalinic, Oscar Da Silva and Oriol Paulí. One day after winning the Catalan League, the six Barça signings for this new season were presented to society. An authentic revolution with which to aspire to the final Four again and dominate the competition in Spain.
Barça has compensated for the departure of Calathes, Smits, Oriola, Davies and Exum with the return of Tomas Satoransky and Oriol Paulí, and the commitment of Da Silva and the arrival of three players with proven experience and quality in continental basketball such as Vesely, Kalinic and Tobey.
For now, Nikola Kalinic has already shown what he is capable of with an exhibition of 17 points against Joventut. The rest had a more secondary role, but the victory endorses the revolution started by the Barça team. The Serbian player acknowledged that he had talks with Barça last season, but that there was no agreement to sign him. “We talked last summer, we did not reach an agreement. The Red Star was faster and that's why I went there. Now I want to find a good environment and play where I feel happy”, he pointed out. “I was hoping they would come to an agreement because I wanted to come here at this point in my career. Being in the EuroLeague and fighting for the best possible trophies,” he explained.
“There are many players with a high level and experience in the squad, but I don't think there is a problem of egos and I'm sure we'll have a good season”, Jan Vesely assured in the presentation. The Czech left Fenerbahçe after eight seasons in the Turkish league. “The decision to leave was not an easy one. If you stay in the same place for a long time… I needed to change. And when Barça's proposal came in, it was an easy decision. I had to take a step to play in a larger squad”, said the forward.
For his part, Tomas Satoransky recounted his contacts with Barça throughout the summer. “I have always been in contact with my teammates and with Juan Carlos (Navarro). My family has a house in Llança and I was in Catalonia all summer. That made it clearer to me that I wanted to come here,” he explained. He also rejected the idea that he came to replace Calathes. “Calathes is a great player but I am not here to replace him. I focus on my best version and what I can contribute. Play with a lot of energy, give everything and help my teammates and the club”, he concluded.
