In March 2021, Joan Laporta assumed the presidency of Barcelona for a second time, replacing the controversial figure of Josep Maria Bartomeu, whom many credit as being the person to have given the Catalans their massive financial issues.
As a result of said financial woes, Barcelona have had massive restrictions placed upon them in the transfer window over the last few years. Despite this, they have been able to sign several players, while also moving existing squad members on.
As per Relevo, only six players that were in the Barcelona first team at the time of Laporta’s arrival are still at the club: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Inaki Pena, Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong.
Barcelona have a built a much better squad since Laporta’s arrival, even with their financial woes. The likes of Jules Kounde, Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Felix and Robert Lewandowski have all joined, which is a testament to the work done at the club over the last 30 months.
Barcelona have also been able to improve their financial situation despite massively strengthening their squad. The report cites information from the EFE agency, which shows that the first team’s wage bill now sits at €404.7m, down from €566.4m, which is what it was last season.
Previously, Bartomeu had handed out incredibly lucrative contracts, which were well above the market average. This caused the wage bill to skyrocket, to the point that it was the biggest in Europe. This forced Laporta to address this as a pressing concern, and he has been successful so far.
Barcelona looks to be back to being a well-run club again, and they have had success on the pitch to make the situation even better. The challenge now is to maintain this, while also improving the finances even more.
