There is no money to register players.
Laporta no longer has financial leverage
Joan insisted he always had an ace up his sleeve. But the favor of La Liga and the Catalan authorities, who did not sink Barcelona during the period of financial collapse, has limits. Lawyers have failed to find a reason why Laporte could once again bend the rules. The club was not authorized to register Olmo and Pau. It is possible that European champion Dani, signed for 62 million euros, will be forced to leave Barcelona or sit in the stands for six months as he will be excluded from the club’s bid.
Should Laporta be hit in the neck for such a puncture? Barcelona’s president could face a vote of no confidence, a move he has long deserved. Even if we assume Joan hasn’t broken any laws recently in trying to sell Barcelona’s assets, Laporta has gotten older and started making mistakes. Last time, Rossel, another ex-Catalan president, spent time in prison for him. Now justice can catch up with the intelligent businessman if he is deprived of the cover of the post of president of Barcelona. The old man is running out of options.
Big sponsors are unlikely to trust him. The Catalans remain attractive for investments. But illiterate contracts with huge salaries deprived the club of the opportunity to gain more players for money. Barcelona draws up free agent lists. But after the story with Olmo, it is unlikely that Laporta will be taken at his word. But he cannot give guarantees, since the Catalan club’s total debt amounts to around 2.5 billion euros. In such a situation, there is no way to escape, even if Gundogan is kicked out of the app and Olmo is released.
Footballers are angry at Barcelona’s empty pockets
In the world of Real Madrid, where there is a lot of money and Atlético Madrid is looking for new owners with investments, it is difficult to stay at the top. Xavi’s championship prevented Barcelona from becoming a team for the Champions League final. The players understand that the current situation could lead to the disintegration of the team. Midfielder Frenkie de Jong has spoken out. The club owes him a lot of money because he agreed to defer payments during the pandemic. The Dutchman began to suspect that Laporta would try to deceive him, so he said the following:
I have to admit: when I signed the contract with Barcelona, I didn’t imagine that in 4 years I would only win 1 championship, 1 Spanish Cup and 1 Spanish Super Cup. I expected to win at least twice as much, so I’m disappointed. But some things cannot be predicted.
And winger Rafinha, the Barcelona captain, couldn’t hold back after Olmo’s scoring circus. President Laporta, as an experienced politician, most likely lied to the team about a controlled situation. The lie infuriated those who believed the club boss. Players have been hearing for years that the situation is about to improve. But in reality, a crisis is looming, because large repayments of old debts are looming. “Barcelona” does not control anything, and it will not be possible to sell air – the rights to control the stands – forever. Raphinha knows it:
I would be lying if I said I didn’t care about Olmo and Pau’s situation. And I don’t like lying. If I was at another club in a similar situation, I would wonder if I chose the right team.
After this statement from captain Rafinha, Laporta came to training and scolded the Brazilian for a minute. Joan swam because he understands that he may soon be kicked out of the club. And Rafinha is a pious person. When asked, he didn’t lie. The right winger knows Amorim wants him at Manchester United. A bad option if you want trophies, but the winger called out Laporta’s hypocrisy long ago. In the summer, they printed T-shirts with Williams’ name, and when they didn’t run out, they pretended that they had always trusted Raphinha.
The solution could be to sell the most valuable players
The club must be saved. There was advice from financial specialists. Cool Spanish economists and entrepreneurs came together to help Barcelona survive. They came up with a rescue plan, Laporta read it and rejected it. The results will accumulate for years, as €1.4 billion of all the club’s debts will soon have to be repaid. Most likely, you will have to think about a sale. Yamal loves Barcelona. Raphinha thought about leaving in the summer, but has now played and become Flick’s captain. Both show motivation on the field.
But if you find a way out, there are few options. The footballers are the wealth of the club. There is no money – you are selling valuable players. Barcelona have Yamal, who they refused to transfer PSG for 250 million euros. Lamin will extend his contract. There is midfielder Pedri. Its market is estimated at 100 million. This is not the old Rafinha whose price has increased. The Brazilian is in good shape and can be sold to another club for 80 million. But even if you say goodbye to all three, buyers will negotiate at auction, knowing the plight of the club.
Another option is to send Laporta out. Announce new elections in which Pique will participate. Gérard has business connections. Must come with reliable sponsors. Perhaps he will ask Messi to get involved in the process of finding investors who will not turn Barcelona into an analogue of Manchester United. In the short term, we can forget Haaland and transfers in this category. But if Flick doesn’t let us down after a series of weak results, then the successes will allow us to dream of retaining some leaders.
The decision to let no one go and build Barcelona around Yamal is an unreliable strategy. Ansu Fati also received accolades at the age of 17. A young player is not a guarantee of profit. And they lost some nice veterans. Instability means you could be left without a trophy if you don’t win the Spanish Super Cup. And if there are no wins, the bonuses are lower. Declining income means players will leave and new ones will refuse to strengthen the team. You can give Kunde and Araujo, let Lewandowski go because of the salary. And that is not enough: unpopular and painful decisions await us.
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