Virtually no one knew. The Barcelona captains, the rest of the squad and even some managers found out about the departure of Mateu Alemany, the club's football director, through the statement published by the entity shortly after Barcelona beat Osasuna at the Camp Nou and in a transcendental match to continue rowing towards the league title. Coach Xavi Hernández and the rest of the coaching staff were also informed just after the game. Mateu Alemany, who had an offer from Aston Villa since January, has decided to jump ship.
The reasons? The public one, and no less important for that, is the "economically irresistible offer" from Unai Emery's Aston Villa, who already tried to get his services in February and who has upped the ante. Barcelona has not even considered matching it. "It's impossible" say club sources.
But there are other internal discrepancies. The pressure generated by making a competitive team while looking to lighten more than 200 million euros of salary bill has taken its toll on Alemany, who also did not agree with some decisions related to sports planning, with the addition of having to negotiate with super agents like Jorge Mendes who, by the way, had known of Alemany's intentions to leave for about fifteen days.
On the other hand, agents like Josep Maria Orobitg, who closed the renewal of Sergi Roberto with Alemany and who was negotiating that of Sergio Busquets, did not know. Alemany was in favor of the continuity of both captains as long as they adapted to the economic situation of the entity. As for Leo Messi, Alemany did not see his return as bad as long as a series of economic conditions are met, but he was concerned that the club has not yet received the go-ahead from LaLiga for the feasibility plan that he himself presented. Some tensions with the hard core of president Joan Laporta have not helped to minimize his wear and tear either.
Now, rather than replacing Mateu Alemany, as FC Barcelona's football director, the Barça entity contemplates "some changes" in the sports structure. He is also very aware of the renewal of Jordi Cruyff, Alemany's right-hand man, whose contract expires on June 30 and who, after the Spaniard said goodbye, is seriously considering whether to continue or not. "He will comply with his contract, yes," they say from their environment.
Jordi Cruyff's doubts have deactivated the option of hiring Antonio Cordón. Former sports director of Betis and previously at Villarreal, Cordón coincided with Jordi Cruyff at Chinese Chonqqing, where the man from Extremadura led the sports part and Johan's son was coach between August 2018 and December 2019. Later both coincided in the Ecuadorian team . From the Barcelona club they continue studying the market names that were raised after the goodbye of Alemany. According to RAC 1, one of the possibilities is to incorporate Deco, agent of footballers like Raphinha and current head of the Brazilian Barça market.
Mateu Alemany, who had a contract with FC Barcelona for one more season, until June 30, 2024, will head to Birmingham from June 30. Although he has promised to close with Barça the next summer market, it is difficult to think that he can do it if he is already, de facto, the new sporting director of Aston Villa.
Alemany is the third strong man in the project to leave the Barça ship. Jaume Giró, the person in charge of the economic area during the electoral campaign, did not even become part of the board of directors. He cited "personal reasons" but there were also economic discrepancies in the configuration of the guarantee that allowed Laporta to proclaim himself president. Eduard Romeu eventually became the economic vice president.
The second was Ferran Reverter. The former CEO of the club landed in Barcelona in mid-2021, from MediaMarkt, where he became CEO of the German company in 2018. He officially left the position in February 2022 for "personal and family reasons"; Unofficially, it was said that his club model did not coincide with the one that President Joan Laporta had in mind, who did not finish surpassing or sharing Reverter's decision to let Messi escape.
