Deco has taken up his new role as a Sporting Director at FC Barcelona with huge expectations. He is now one of the most influential voices at the Catalan club, but his work is anything but easy.
The Portuguese official has already gotten praise for his transfer market activity, especially for the signing of Vitor Roque, whose agent himself admitted that Deco had played an integral role in getting Barcelona to sign the rising Brazilian prodigy.
Broken relationship between Barcelona and De Jong
However, more challenges await Deco in this role. One such challenge, as has been outlined by SPORT, would be to rebuild the relationship between the midfielder Frenkie de Jong and FC Barcelona.
The Dutchman is currently enjoying a very good run of form, but this has not always been the case since he arrived at Barcelona. After a strong start to his Barcelona career, Frenkie regressed to such an extent in ensuing seasons that the Catalan club tried to force him out of the club.
The story of Frenkie’s grievances with Barcelona starts from October 2020, when he signed an extension with the Catalan club till 2026. When Joan Laporta’s administration took over at the club, this contract was one among the four that raised doubts in the new administration, who also threatened to take this case to court.
Barcelona were facing a very dire economic picture at that time, and in a bid to reduce the salary bill, De Jong’s contract was also leaked to the press. This was a very inauspicious piece of conduct by the club, but De Jong and his agents withstood the pressure at the time.
There were also efforts by FC Barcelona to sell Frenkie to Manchester United, but Frenkie stood firm and wanted to remain at Camp Nou. This decision is reaping benefits now, as he has become an integral part of the squad, and one of the captains of the team for this season.
Frenkie’s future contract renewal
However, a formal rapprochement between Frenkie and the club never took place, and while the relations are calm currently, they are still cold.
The departure of Mateu Alemany can warm things between the two parties, as he was considered to be one of the main architects of the move to Manchester United, but Deco will still have a challenge on his hands to restore the relations.
Now, while Frenkie has a contract till 2026 with Barcelona, the club would still have to prepare for his renewal from the next year. Unless the relations between the two parties are restored, Barcelona fear Frenkie’s agents can use this opportunity to gain revenge for these past grievances, and Deco will have to find a way to avoid such a scenario.
