Two years go a long way, especially if they go through the sieve of Joan Laporta. The president of FC Barcelona is, in his second reign, since March 2021, and from then until today his mandate has undergone such radical changes that they seem to belong to another candidacy. Messi left when he promised to stay; Xavi, his coach, was another aspirant (Víctor Font), and the Superliga, the holy grail, is today a cornered decorative object. Nor is its executive body the same. The corresponding ideological purge (getting out those who tolerated Bartomeu's drift was an obligation), was followed by a cascade of not always congruent dismissals which, added to desertions, have left the command center increasingly empty of specialized talent and more full of friendly people but probably less prepared. The general manager (Ferran Reverter), the director of football (Mateu Alemany), the head of security (Ferran López), the heavyweights of communication (Toni Ruiz, Josep Vives and José Manuel Lázaro) and other pillars of different departments have gone making way for a plenipotentiary Laporta, accentuating a presidentialism that was never hidden but never reached such an extreme. Accustomed to all kinds of seismic movements (much worse was the crisis of 2008, when eight managers resigned and from there he was able to make Pep Guardiola's Barça grow, the best in history), Laporta maintains this characteristic optimism, as entrusted to its faithful as reckless to those who are not so faithful. Living with an unsustainable debt, returning the 1,450 million euros left in debt for Espai Barça (Palau aside), adapting to the financial fair play that LaLiga demands, bringing Messi back, moving to Montjuïc. .. Others, appealing to sanity, had run away. Laporta does not feel dizzy. The impossible serve as fuel for him, even when authorized voices assure that the tank is empty.
Waiting for Leo Messi
From within the club, Messi's possible return is fueled without disguising it, alleging the same reasons that should have served to retain him: the ability to generate money as a universal hook and sporting benefits that are still very useful. Two green lights are missing: that of LaLiga and, of course, that of the Argentine. The body led by Javier Tebas wants Messi back but not at any price. He has on the table the viability plan presented to him by the Blaugrana club after two seasons, but he needs to be guaranteed profits. This summer the club will have them for the doping of the levers, but without these benefits, Laporta's management will have to demonstrate an expertise in generating income that it has not shown until now. Messi's green light remains to be seen. He will not continue with PSG despite his apologies for skipping training and has a €400m one-season offer from Saudi Arabia. He will decide once his club wins the league, which is supposed to win it.
To bring Messi and register Gavi, Araújo, Balde, Marcos Alonso and Sergi Roberto with their new contracts will require more. The savings will involve player sales, fee increases for the few members who will be authorized to go to Montjuïc and general cuts that are already noticeable (unplanned closure of Barça TV: more than 100 professionals out of work) or are intuited: the sections begin to tremble.
Formerly a buying club increasingly given to selling in the summer, Laporta does not hide its great relationship with super agent Jorge Mendes, a representative addicted to marketing to whom he will ask for help. Mendes has Ansu Fati, Balde and Lamine Yamal in his portfolio (and also Nico, loaned to Valencia, and incidentally also a bit of Abde, loaned to Osasuna) and has Wolverhampton as a satellite club. It is no coincidence that the name of Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton) rings out with insistence as a substitute for Busquets in the middle of the field. Does Xavi like it? Well, not much. The role of the new director of football will be vital this summer after the departure of Mateu Alemany. Deco's name is ringing for the position as revealed by RAC1. Deco, Raphinha's agent, learned the trade from Mendes, his representative when he was a footballer. The commission dance will be inevitable. In the campaign Laporta said that they would be transparent with this issue. Two years ago. Currently, already two centuries.
