He's right not to promise him a starting spot (if true).
La Repubblica said:
If you can come here, we can try to live together but I can't guarantee anything.
It further said: Pep wasn't too happy with signing CR7 because he would need to change his tactics and CR7 would be bigger than the team.
Further, Pep apparently said that some of the biggest players (it is speculated that he is talking about CR7 and Messi) decide on which position on a field they will play and they don't want to lower their wage and contract length demands.
Pep said: in that sense, I am happier to keep my current squad.
So, if true, it is true that Pep wants to keep a healthy atmosphere in a team.
But it also seems that he don't like superstars and strong personalities.
Remember cases of Zlatan, Etoo, Mandzukic, Yaya twice.
Pep has his own system but he also prefers quite followers like Iniesta, David Silva and KDB and doesn't like loud guys who queation his decisions or authority, to some extent.
Zlatan said thousand of times that Pep never talked to him and never explained why he doesn't play and similar.
The same happened with Etoo and Mandzukic.
When Pep decides something, he will just drop and sell you. No questions, no explanations.
But one pattern remains the same:
1. He always buys the same typw of midfielders-wingers-attackers
2. None of them are fighting with him or questioning him
3. Guys with big mouth who also don't play like a carbon copy of Iniesta and David Silva (Zlatan, Etoo, Mandzukic) are usually sold after 12 Months under him
When you sum it all, CR7 doesn't play like David Silva, he has a loud mouth and he is bigger than the team.
I personally think that Pep didn't want 34 years old superstar Messi from the same reason because Messi wants to play for 90 minutes all the time, he chooses his position and he doesn't cover as much as his 3+3 carbon copy midfielders and attackers.
