BARÇA’S ‘MODUS OPERANDIS’
It is not a secret for anybody that in the FC Barcelona are constantly studying the market and analysing the alternatives to strengthen his team in the different categories. From it does decades, from the club have achieved the contracting of big stars that have promoted the ‘mark Barça’ to the highest and that have been key for the achievement of different titles along the last years, but, how is the process in full economic crisis, when there are not financial solutions as in previous years?
And it is that, although the Catalan entity has lived in a constant crisis -that has not disappeared even with the return of Joan Laporta, in 2021, to the presidency-, have concretised a few signings in the last two years: From the investments, as it is the case of Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Raphinha or Koundé, until the players that have landed in the City Condal like free agents, as it is the case of Andreas Christensen or Ílkay Gündogan, in the summer of 2023.
The Barça has had like aim in the last years keep a structure ‘firm’ in the sportive area and, especially in the inferior categories, the dynamics has not changed more than the account. In an analysis elaborated by the newspaper ‘SPORT’, has ‘checked’ that in the formative football the strategies have not changed, with the exception that it loans attention to the bets of risk for recortar the economic consequences. However, in the first team if there are factors and characters that distinguish, entirely, all the process.
With the arrival of Joan Laporta and back exit of Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany, with the welcome to Deco and presence of Xavi Hernández, the Barça has kept a simple structure, but personalised, to the hour to try the incorporation of a footballer. It has formed , in this sense, a triangle conformed by the maximum Barcelona mandator, the sportive director and the trainer. They are those who ‘begin’ the history and define some factors: The age of the player, his contractual situation or mount that it would be necessary to disburse, if it gave the case.
Xavi, Deco and Laporta: The triangle of the signings
There it is when they begin ‘divide’ the tasks and surfaces the figure of Xavi Hernández, for example, the one who has been the key so that the Barça there is fichado to several players in the last years, as it was the case of Ferran Torres from the Manchester City or Ílkay Gündogan, also from the English group, but like free agent. The one of Terrassa continues being the ‘idol’ of several footballers and his speech has served, in several occasions, to convince to different profiles. No always it is effective, because already players like Endrick or Martín Zubimendi have turned away him.
With Deco, right now treats more than what could be in a future that what has showed, put the important operations in which it has participated -as the signing of Vitor Roque- already were very advanced by the previous sportive direction of the Barça. Now, with the economic situation against, has not had freedom to explore the market as it wanted to, but from the club trust that his experience like agent serve to find the ‘jewels’ to reinforce to the team with accessible price. It is a born negotiator that will back the interests of the club.
Finally, it is the figure of Joan Laporta that, of some way, is in all the operations in which it is involved the Barça. Already during the summer was key to clear the way so that so much Joao Félix like Joao Cancel landed in the team with economic eases for the club. It is a president that knows very well the market and that saves very good relation with the agents that ‘move’ the market, as it is the case of Jorge Mendes or Pini Zahavi, those who are two of his allies since it returned to chair the Catalan entity.
The another face of the ‘scouting’ in the Barça
The true is that it could think that there it finish the ‘history’ of the Barça to the hour to go out to the market, but is all the contrary. They are many the figures, behind the cameras, that take part to the hour that the culés fix in talents and bet by his traspasos. A key figure is Paulo Araujo, responsible maximum of the area of scouting of the club. It is the attendant to define and ‘present’ to the emergent figures to strengthen the filial or the big promises that could take advantage of to advance to the ‘big’ of Europe. It works of the hand with Red, Miki Albert, David Fernández, Lluís Lainz or Nogués, in the Spanish market and of the old continent, in general.
Out of Europe there is more ‘allied’, put in different competitions sudamericanas, but mainly Argentinian, the attendant is Ferran Cedrón and in Brazil the maximum figure is José Manuel Barla. To his time, the Barça explores the African market through Moussa Koné, the one who already has had several ‘interventions’ important as they are the incorporations of Mbacke or Mikal Faye.
The commissions, the key factor
Another decisive point in the report of the newspaper ‘SPORT’ are the famous commissions to the representatives of the players. It is a section that always has generated controversial and opinions found, but from the club sustain that it credits 5% of the gross wage of the player in juvenile age. In diverse clubs this percentage rises to 7% or, even, to 10%. It is one of the key so that it keep on being functional the arrival of more talents to the filial Catalan.
