Deco has been working non-stop ever since he has joined FC Barcelona. While the Portuguese officially became the Catalan club’s Sporting Director only a few weeks back, he has been working with the club in an unofficial capacity for months now.
Being one of the biggest clubs in the world, managing Barcelona means the top executives have to work consistently, without many breaks.
The last few days have particularly been exhausting as the transfer window was closing and Barcelona still had a lot of work to do. As Barcelona completed their summer operations successfully, Deco is now taking a well-deserved break from work.
Xavi’s renewal
However, the Sporting Director has his work cut out for him when he returns from this break. SPORT has identified a number of tasks that Deco will have to fulfill after returning from vacation.
The primary among these tasks is the finalization of the renewal of coach Xavi Hernandez until 2026, the year when Laporta’s presidency will come to an end.
Negotiations are already advanced, and agreement between the two parties is understood to be reachable within the coming days. Xavi and his entourage will see their salaries increase, but this increase will be in line with the economic realities of the club.
Other reinforcements
After handling Xavi’s future, Deco will then have to keep an eye on up-and-coming players whom Barcelona can still get on cheap. These reinforcements are especially needed for some weak areas of the squad, like the pivot position, which is only covered by the 32-year-old Oriol Romeu.
Guido Rodriguez, Joao Palhinha, and Florentino Luis are three players in the club’s sights for this position. Other two players who are particularly liked by Deco are Moscardo from Corinthians and Arthur Vermeeren from Royal Antwerp.
Lastly, Deco will also be keeping an eye on players who are in their last year of contract, and who can improve Barcelona squad’s quality next summer, to further improve the squad quality while keeping the costs as low as possible.
