Joan Laporta was inaugurated as Barcelona president this afternoon, just over a week after his successful election campaign where he won out over Victor Font and Toni Freixa.
Laporta had a message for his coach, Ronald Koeman, as per Mundo Deportivo. “We’re aiming to win titles,” he said. “Ronald, you already know you have the confidence of this new board of directors. What we want to see is that the team is improving and we are happy and hopeful that it will continue to grow.”
His words weren’t mere platitudes. They come days after reports have linked Laporta’s Barcelona with a move for Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann as well as Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta.
Barcelona are certainly in with a shout of winning titles this season, having cut Atletico Madrid’s advantage in La Liga to just four points and reached the final of the Copa del Rey on 17 April. They fell in the last 16 of the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain, but put in a dominant second leg showing.
Koeman took over this past summer, inheriting a club in crisis. Lionel Messi tried to leave and Barcelona sold many of its most high-profile players, like Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic. The Dutchman, a legend at the club as a player, has integrated youth and injected a significant degree of positivity.
