Barcelona has been extremely busy this summer. In his work on and off the pitch, he rarely made headlines and rarely embarrassed people outside.
From big-money deals, back-and-forth battles with Spanish football officials, and a seemingly eternal battle to reduce the contract already at the club,Joan Laporta has turned to other With a longer to-do list than most clubs, their work isn't done yet.
Given the constant updates that seem to almost contradict each other and the amazing team restructuring work they have undertaken, a difficult question arises. So what is Barcelona doing this year?
Economic instruments
For most spectators from outside La Liga, the main question mark is the issue of Barcelona transfers, especially registering them. It's about making a new player when it looks like they don't have the money to pay the player they already own.
Barça have sold, loaned or otherwise offloaded seven of his senior his players so far this summer. The most high-profile is Philippe his CoutinhoHe is also the only person to have brought any notable rewards of any kind. On the next side, we currently have a spend of around £140m. £55m/€65m), Frank Kesy (free), Andreas Christensen (free).
A secondary question, separate from fees, concerns their salaries, which range from the former Leeds-Chelsea pair's reported €120,000 a week to Lewandowski's €180,000. there is. These additional annual salaries are by no means cheap, but they are relatively reduced on the Catalan side. For example, the Polish striker's salary at Bayern Munich is lower than what he was earning in Munich, and lower than that of his previous signings.
All of this forms the basis of a real problem as far as La Liga is concerned in terms of registering these new subscribers: what clubs are spending can afford to pay
In the first week of August, Barcelona attempted to register new players and re-register old ones, but were banned by the league. This was a result of the club's finances failing to cover the costs of the next year. All clubs in Spain must submit this document for each campaign. Herein lies the impact of the “economic instruments” that we have heard so much about this year. These are the mechanisms that the Barcelona president has taken action to bring additional income to the club, allowing for additional costs, such as salaries and contracts. In other words - should be paid.
The means includea major sponsorship deal with Spotify (36} a deal to cover kits and stadiums), the sale of parts of Barca Studios, and his two television appearances. Includes sale of rights packages. These were added to other commercial earnings and player sales - the club claimed to have tallied his €850m (£720m) dumping into the organization.
LaHe wasn't enough to convince LaLiga, but Cadena He Coop said €150 million in funding had returned to . claims to have refused part of the contract on the grounds of 42} Barcelona from club themselves. after making a payment to another company partly owned by the Club to partially finance the sale of the television rights package.
Laporta, frustrated that the league did not "interpret" finances the way Barcelona did, forced him to pull the fourth lever: 1 €100m (£85m) equity sale
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Finally, four new additions may be registered. , he was not fit, which made the decision easier.
Catalonia-based Diario AS journalist Ferran Correas explained to theIndependent that it was not just the Camp Nou club, but other clubs as well. - Betis and Almeria names confirmed - who could not register players for similar reasons. But why introduce them all now instead of spanning multiple windows with a more manageable approach? There are two reasons, he believes.
"There are rules in La Liga and you have to accept them. What they did is they didn't accept the capital gains from the sale of TV rights that Barcelona believed were valid." explained Correa. "I think La Liga should change the rule structure - they are stricter than other big leagues. If they are not more flexible La Liga will lose compared to the Premier League and Bundesliga.
“Laporta wants to embark on the virtuous cycle that has brought him success in his first era at the club.
"We're signing a lot of good players to pressure players who don't want to leave. Those who arrive will be paid more with the [new] salary structure." Make less money.The club wants to join the same pay structure as many are now paying above market value to those who were already there."
This is the view of La Liga TV commentator Andy West.
Barcelona finished second in the league table last year, but viewers are forgiven for not noticing that. It hasn't been seriously challenged in Europe for several years. “Joao Laporta's view is that he had no choice. To set his target lower than this would have cost him his position as club president," West told The Independent on
. But there is still work to be done.
Salary cuts and Frenkie de Jong
The very obvious elephant in the room right now remains the Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong
During pre-season he was used defensively, showing players ahead of him in midfield, andthe club's future 'goodness'., relying on his emotional understanding of the situation. So far, that hasn't happened and De Jong has agreed to defer wages of around €17m when his contract is extended during the pandemic. .
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He said his base salary last semester was still €9 million (around €180,000 per week). However, that deferred money will be split and paid over the remaining years of his contract. This means that if De Jong understandably wants to be paid if he leaves early, Barcelona will either forego receiving a new contract or be outright paid in order to be in line with the club's new payment structure. I am asking you to update to
Not surprisingly, many of his other big deals at Kamphi Nou are relics from the days when former president Josep his Maria his Bartomeu was still in charge.
"Barcelona have been trying to bring wages down to more reasonable levels as they realize the huge contracts handed over during the Bartomeu era were unsustainable," he said. said West. "Therefore, new contracts are being signed at significantly lower wages than Barça have paid in the past.
"Given such a background, they are trying to reduce Frenkie de Jong's wages. Attempts are more understandable: he is by no means the only player they are negotiating with, for example Sergi Roberto agreed to a new contract with a 60% pay cut."
" Frenkie de Jong has a very expensive contract that the club can't afford," agreed Correas. "They want him to take it down or leave - he's also a player who could bring in a lot of money to sign other players. Martin Breitwaite is different, Xavi doesn't want him and the team doesn't have space for another forward."
De Jong played in the season opener , Danish striker Breitwaite was ruled out entirely.Sport Danish Players' Association chief Michael his Saar Hansen said the Catalan side was "completely unreasonable" in its treatment of him. When it became clear that the club wanted him out, fans mocked him before the season, saying Hansen was "somewhere between bullying and harassment." It's a shame to try."
What next for Barcelona?
First, spending. Then success. That's the plan, the virtuous cycle that Correa referred to, but in football things don't always go the way you want them to.
His 0-0 draw at home against Lajo Vallecano saw Sergio Obsquets sent off in the first weekend, Lewandowski very quiet, and January additions Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is proving to be on the bench alongside new signings. Keshy.
Miralem He was also present at Pianic, reminding him of the strange and costly mistakes Barça have made in the market in recent years. They can't afford to do so with their latest crop, but there is another variable. Xavi Hernandez is an absolute icon, but far from proven as a head coach.
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"The worst-case scenario is that Xavi fails as a coach and has to be fired." A coach decides he wants to overhaul the team," West said. "Then Barça will again be put in the position of wanting to sign some contracts without the option of raising money using Laporta's means. They will sell more commercial assets.
"This team and this coach really have to succeed. When Xavi himself admitted two things, he was right. La Liga. and anything other than winning the Champions League will lead to a failure this season.The pressure is on.He as a coach to make this team happen.
"But the British media The worst case scenario promoted by some, where the entire club collapses under the weight of debt and ceases to exist, is greatly exaggerated.
The latter point is right, it's probably a safety net that Laporta doesn't want, but I know it's there just in case, the money spent is huge and the risk of failure is serious in a sporting sense, but Barcelona is an absolute money machine: Earlier this year, on Forbes'list ofmost valuable clubs, Barcelona came in second with over $5 billion (£4.2 billion).Deloitte's money League records Barcelona's 2022 revenues of just over €580 million, fourth in Europe.
They didn't need to be as big as they were this year. But the lure of pursuing success in sport, especially for those elected to office, would probably influence decision-making as much as anything else.
Kunde, De Jong, Perhaps Bernardo Silva, while one or two other names such as Juan Foyth, Marcos Alonso and Aubameyang could make up the final ins and outs at the Camp Nou in this turbulent summer.
Then it will be totally focused on football, whether Xavi is the leader they want, whether the recruitment is a huge success and whether they approach in the summer. The answer to 2022 will start to become clear. It was absolutely right.