Barcelona had something of a shake-up in its directors over the summer. Jordi Cruyff stepped down as Sporting Director, and he was replaced by former Blaugrana player Deco, who was officially unveiled earlier this week.
Mateu Alemany was set to remain as Barcelona’s Director of Football, although he also chose to leave this role last month. It was a surprise, as Alemany had declared earlier this year that he would see out the remainder of his contract (which was due to expire next summer) at the very least.
It was not planned that Alemany would leave Barcelona, and according to Catalunya Radio (via Sport), there were multiple reasons for his decision to walk away now. One of those was a perceived “professional incompatibility” with Deco, who has looked to take the Catalans in a different direction since his arrival.
Deco’s arrival meant that Alemany moved into an unfamiliar role at Barcelona, and after a few weeks, it was clear that he did not like the way things were. As such, he took the decision to leave ahead of schedule.
It leaves Barcelona in a position where they only have one director focusing on the recruitment/football side, although Joan Laporta has been known to get involved on occasion. It is an approach that looks to be working well.
