Jose Edmilson has slammed Barcelona on their decision to offload Samuel Eto’o as part of a deal to acquire Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Edmilson was part of Barca's setup for four seasons from 2004 to 2008 and was awed with what he saw from Eto'o. The Palmeiras defender is now shocked that his former employers would trade a lethal scorer like Eto'o for Ibrahimovic.

"I am very surprised, because he [Eto'o] is the best in the world," said Edmilson to Ona FM.

"He is good in front of goal, has presence in the area and has great speed. He was an excellent companion to motivate people. I don't know if this is because of a problem with the coach, but I believe he is the best striker at Barcelona."

The 33-year-old also pointed out that €45 million plus Eto'o and Aliaksandr Hleb for the Swede was a lopsided deal, and he pointed out who he thought was the superior hitman.

"I would not change anybody for [Samuel] Eto'o. He is much more of a player than [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic. It seems that Pep Guardiola wants a different player."