FC Barcelona have begun to take charge of proceedings in the final 13 days or so of the summer transfer window of 2023, as the Catalan giants look to wrap up various operations and finalize agreements heading into September.
However, Barcelona have both welcomed a new arrival within the offices of the club while simultaneously having announced the departure of one of those most involved in Barcelona’s transfer operations and market strategies over the last three years in particular under the leadership of President Joan Laporta.
Mateu Alemany, Director of Football at FC Barcelona, is indefinitely set to part ways with the Catalan club on the 2nd of September.
However, according to Spanish outlet Diario AS, there were tensions already evolving within the offices of FC Barcelona prior to this announcement in the case of Mateu Alemany, and much of it had to do with the arrival of Deco as the new Sporting Director.
Prior to the summer transfer window, early news of Alemany’s departure to Premier League side Aston Villa had already been compromised and for some specific reasons, the deal ended up falling apart at the end with Alemany returning to Barcelona for the summer window and dedicating himself to the club for the future.
However, important names within the Barcelona camp such as vice president Rafa Yuste and Enric Masip, both believed to be in the corner of Deco, suggested that Alemany’s work and way of conduct created doubts and certain frictions within the offices of FC Barcelona as per the report.
Moreover, while Joan Laporta remained a firm supporter of Alemany and had continued to protect him from the doubts developing within the club, he was then also reportedly given a reminder by Deco himself once the Brazilian had made his arrival.
The former Barcelona player wished for himself to be allocated the utmost control in terms of the sporting aspects and operations of FC Barcelona while Alemany be reallocated towards mainly working within issues restricted to La Liga and such.
Understandably, this was against Alemany’s best interests given that he himself wishes to participate actively in sports-related operations and has been a major reason as to why Barcelona were able to manage their finances sustainably while also incorporating top-level players over the last few seasons.
Before Alemany could be completely dethroned off his perch, the Barcelona Director of Football has himself agreed to leave and step down from his position as he looks to progress elsewhere, according to the report by AS.
Others within the coaching department also seemingly hold a certain affiliation with Deco, including the claims of Xavi Hernandez who states their relations to be solid and consistent, showcasing a stronghold of sorts that Deco possesses within the club’s major departments over Alemany, with the former Mallorca and Valencia executive having been showered with doubts instead despite his obviously positive work for Barcelona.
The case of Xavi and Deco remains interesting, however, as there are those that doubt their relationship to be as smooth as they make it out to be.
Regardless, the faith of the new Sporting Director in his coach will come clean either way once he attains full control over the sporting aspects of the club and how he handles the renewal process for Xavi Hernandez, with the expiry of the Barcelona coach’s contract being met in the summer of 2024.
