The president of Barça, Joan Laporta, has given an extensive interview to Mundo Deportivo where he reviews all the news about the Barça club, from the signings that the first football team needs to his relationship with the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, with whom He has ironed out rough edges in recent weeks.
“I took the step, we met at his house, in a very nice and quiet place in Huesca. We were able to have a calm, casual conversation and without apriorities. Tebas is very vehement, with a lot of character, and I also have my way of being , but we have many points of agreement”, indicated the president of the employer’s association, with whom he claims to have “a very good relationship”.
The bridges redone with LaLiga led to the feasibility plan that contemplates various reinforcements for coach Xavi Hernández this coming season. “I am convinced that they will all be done,” he explained about the pending transfer operations, among which there are “two midfielders and a right back”, although this last position is less of a priority.
Laporta was full of praise for Xavi, a coach who has “adapted to the circumstances.” “I value him enormously and that is why I promote, as is accepted by the majority of Barcelona fans, that he is a suitable coach for Barça. He has told me that next year will be different, that when the players win a title they change their mentality and gives them peace,” he added.
In addition to the coach, Mateu Alemany and Deco, “the person who decides the sports issue together with Xavi”, with whom he must have “perfect harmony” are involved in the transfer policy. “Perhaps Deco, due to his personality, will have a more interventionist role in this sense and that is what we want,” he insisted.
Beyond the new additions, among the pending subjects of the sports managers is the renewal of Dembélé. “I think he will continue and it is what he wants,” he anticipated the French, although predicting that everything will be resolved “at the last minute”: “He has some representatives who are difficult when it comes to negotiating.”
Laporta also reviewed the sections and especially basketball, where one of the proper names continues to be that of Nikola Mirotic and his complicated contract termination. “It has not been resolved, it is a serious issue, it is a contract that was made at the time, we have inherited it and it is unsustainable. Nikola has given us a lot but we are trying to make his agent understand it, if he goes to Monaco or to Milan and they are going to have a good record… but it is an armored contract and it is very complicated”, he analyzed the situation of the Balkan.
The president wants the team, now coached by Roger Grimau, to be “even more competitive in the Euroleague and to continue to be hegemonic in the Spanish league.” In addition to Joel Parra, presented this Tuesday, Laporta predicted the arrival of more signings, perhaps the Hernangómez, and the incorporation of players from the youth academy: “Grimau and Sada know her perfectly and they tell me that there are two or three who can make their debut with the first team and this is exciting. Let the Gasols, the Navaros, the Rogers, the Estellers come back… “.
“I’m having a good time being the president of Barça but it also sometimes entails suffering, restlessness for things to turn out. I’ve always had a sense of responsibility, I’m a perfectionist, and not everything is perfect because there are things that come out and things don’t come out , and I’m very aware. Perhaps I shouldn’t minimize it, but I’m not worried about this weight,” Laporta concluded about his state of health.
