Best part is he went to Barca after years of tapping up and eventually going on strike to force a move…only for Pep to retire shortly after Cesc joined.

You can force a player out without explicitly telling them you want them gone. For example: signing Doku instead of giving Palmer a chance is definitely one way to force a career decision from a youth prospect. So of course Pep forced him out, it just happened through selection and transfer decisions.