Carles Alena Unhappy with Barcelona After Frenkie de Jong Shirt Number Swap

Barcelona starlet Carles Alena has spoken of his disappointment at losing his No. 21 jersey to new signing Frenkie de Jong without being informed by the club. 

De Jong's transfer to the Blaugrana has long been agreed, and upon arrival at the Camp Nou, the Dutchman took the jersey, giving him the same number he wore at former club Ajax. Alena will now wear No. 19.

Alena said he had no issue giving up the shirt to De Jong but added he was miffed at the club's decision not to consult him about it, per Jordi Gil of Sport:

"I knew that Frenkie wanted the 21, and it was something between him and me. I would have liked a message from the board because they promised him the shirt without warning me. He was humble. He asked me for it, and I gave it to him because it was for a sentimental reason.

"They promised him it without telling me anything. Frenkie is a good guy and humble. I don't feel good because I've always behaved well with the club, we have good communication. They just needed to drop me a message."

When the club's numbers were confirmed for the upcoming season, Barcelona shared a snap of Alena and De Jong holding up their respective jerseys:

The new Barcelona midfielder, who cost £65 million to bring to the Catalan giants, has explained his reasoning for wanting to wear No. 21 previously. 

"My grandfather's birthday was on the 21st of April, and he passed away a year-and-a-half ago," the Dutchman said in an interview with Sport. "He was a big fan of me and my career."

De Jong is rated as one of the best young players in the game, having excelled for Ajax over the last couple of seasons. In 2018-19, he was crucial to the team winning a domestic double and their surprise progression to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Not only will De Jong have what appears to be Alena's preferred number for the 2019-20 season, the Dutchman's addition will also make minutes much harder for the Barcelona academy graduate to come by.

Samuel Marsden of ESPN FC noted Barcelona are stacked with talent in midfield:

In the previous campaign, Alena was on the fringes first of the XI, with manager Ernesto Valverde handing him six La Liga starts. The 21-year-old scored two goals in his 17 top-flight outings in 2018-19.

Given his clear talent and age, Alena will be desperate to get regular football in the months to come. Based on these quotes regarding his jersey number, the player and club haven't got the 2019-20 term off to the best start.