Barcelona were supposed to be celebrating another victory on Tuesday night, and with Real Madrid’s defeat, moving within two points of the La Liga title. However the news that Director of Football Mateu Alemany would be leaving the club plunged the club back into institutional crisis again.
Alemany was in charge of negotiations for Barcelona and has been widely praised for his work with the Blaugrana since he came, managing to bring in several players last summer, including Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde.
However his departure came as a shock, and while he will complete the transfer window with the club, it does raise questions about the direction Barcelona are going in.
💥 Informa @HelenaCondis
❌ Las razones de Mateu Alemany para dejar el @fcbarcelona:
🤔 No veía clara la planificación deportiva de la temporada que viene
🇦🇷 No es partidario de la vuelta de Messi
📻 #PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/VvOFmGZZqM
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) May 2, 2023
On the one hand, Alemany is likely to head to English side Aston Villa, who have reportedly offered him a significant wage in order to join them, but one of the driving factors behind the decision were disagreements on how to proceed with Barcelona’s future.
Despite the stated desire of Barcelona to bring back Lionel Messi, Alemany was never a fan of the idea, as per Helena Condis Edo. For both the financial constraints it will place on the club, and the decision to bring back an ageing superstar. Along the same lines, Alemany did not agree with the renewal of Sergi Roberto, nor the potential renewal of Sergio Busquets.
It appears President Joan Laporta, and potentially Xavi Hernandez, are fuelling many of the moves that Barcelona are making, something Alemany has perhaps grown tired of.
Former Real Betis Sporting Director Antonio Cordon is supposedly the favourite to take over, but losing Alemany is a blow to the Blaugrana. Apart from the work already demonstrated at Barcelona, he is one of the most well-respected operators in Spain.
