Barcelona 2021/22

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Spotify Nou Camp will be the new name of their stadium from next season. So now we know from where Barca all of a sudden got all that money for transfers this January transfer window.







Barcelona close to £236m Spotify deal that includes Camp Nou naming rights

Barcelona close to £236m Spotify deal that includes Camp Nou naming rights​

  • Music platform would also sponsor men’s and women’s team
  • Barcelona CEO Ferran Reverter resigns after seven months

Barcelona’s chief executive, Ferran Reverter, has resigned after seven months, just as the club are expecting to announce a €280m (£236m) deal with Spotify for the title rights on the redeveloped Camp Nou and shirt sponsorship.

The agreement with the music platform is understood to be worth that over three years, with the men’s and women’s teams carrying the company’s logo on their shirts. Spotify would also become the first holders of the title rights – known as a “surname” – for the stadium.


The deal would come into effect this summer when Barcelona’s contracts with their primary sponsor, Rakuten, and secondary sponsor, Beko, end. The Rakuten shirt deal was worth €55m a season. Barcelona would not comment on the new agreement which is expected to be announced this week.

Reverter had resigned for “personal family reasons”, the club said, but the timing was striking and the Catalan radio show Què T’hi Jugues suggested he had had a series of disagreements with the president, Joan Laporta, the latest of which was the Spotify deal and his attempts to secure a secondary sponsor for the sleeve.

Reverter had been at the heart of negotiations over primary and secondary sponsorship deals, with reports suggesting he had conversations with a cryptocurrency company only to encounter opposition from the club’s board.

Spotify faces a controversy after the singer Neil Young demanded the removal of his catalogue from the platform because of the continued presence of Joe Rogan, the podcaster Young accuses of spreading misinformation.

Reverter, the former chief executive of the German retailer Mediamarkt, had been Laporta’s first “signing” as Barça president. He arrived with the backing of the vice-president, Eduard Romeu, whose energy company Audax had provided the economic guarantees that allowed Laporta to take the presidency.


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Reverter was at the heart of the administration’s attempts to resolve the financial crisis it inherited, Laporta saying last week that €159m had been cut off the wage bill. Reverter and Romeu were among those most opposed to Lionel Messi continuing at the club at a time when the wage bill was more than 100% of annual income. He was a firm defender of the super league project and the Espai Barça stadium redevelopment, for which the club took out a €1.5bn loan from Goldman Sachs.

In a statement Barcelona thanked Reverter for a series of “targets met”, including the “restructuring of the debt, the approval by the fans of Espai Barça, the reduction of the salary mass, and agreements with new sponsors”. He will continue until a replacement is found.
 

Barcelona Director of Football Mateu Alemany reveals the Catalans had the chance to keep hold of star Lionel Messi last summer but decided the club 'was above any individual' as he reveals the Ballon d'Or winner's exit was not a surprise​

  • Cash-strapped Barcelona were forced to let star Lionel Messi leave last summer
  • The Argentine left the Spanish club after failing to renew terms over his contract
  • They could have held onto him if they joined a deal, according to Mateu Alemany
  • But the Barcelona Director of Football revealed that the club was their priority
By ISABEL BALDWIN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:25 GMT, 12 February 2022 | UPDATED: 12:25 GMT, 12 February 2022


Barcelona's Director of Football Mateu Alemany has admitted that Lionel Messi's summer exit was not a surprise and insisted that no player was bigger than the club.
Messi's departure from the Nou Camp was the story of the summer as the Ballon d'Or winner left the Catalan side after 21 years.
The Argentine joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer but emotionally claimed that he had done 'all that he could to stay, because he wanted to stay' at Barcelona.

Barcelona's dire financial crisis has been well-documented and the cash-strapped Catalans were reportedly forced to let Messi leave after failing to agree new terms.

But Alemany has now revealed that the club had the opportunity to keep Messi on board if they joined a deal but did not give away any details.

The Director of Football revealed that Barcelona did not joined the anonymous deal as the club came before any individual.

'Unfortunately, Messi's departure was not a surprise,' he told Marca.

'It was the reality of the moment. The only way for him to stay was for Barça to join something that we did not want to join.

'We decided that the club was above any other person. We've lost a lot commercially.'

Messi played 778 games for the Blaugrana, netting 672 times, but ultimately Barcelona were forced to let him leave after a deal could not be reached.

Alemany could have been referring to Barcelona's refusal of a deal with US investment fund CVC authorised by LaLiga.

La Liga’s deal with CVC was worth £2.3billion with the money distributed between the clubs in Spain’s top two divisions.

Barcelona were due £238m — £36m of which they would have to spend on debt restructuring, £166m on the redevelopment of the Nou Camp and £36m on players.

But the deal means CVC are entitled to 10 per cent of TV money from Spanish football for the next 50 years and in a La Liga assembly in August Barcelona rejected the deal along with Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

Barcelona struggled in a disappointing start to the season but have clawed their way back into the top four under Xavi.

They have already been knocked out of this season's Champions League campaign and clinching a qualification spot in the Spanish top-flight is essential as Alemany declared failure to do so 'a disaster'.

'Xavi is doing very well in his first months. We are very happy with his work,' he said.

'Every time we sign players, it depends on the coach. Xavi was crucial in the decisions to incorporate the winter signings.

'With this squad I do not consider not qualifying for next season's Champions League. It would be a disaster.'
 
Messi and Pique didn't seem to have the best of relationships...


Barça

Pique to Laporta: 'Without Messi, the financial fair play issue is fixed'​

The defender suggested letting Messi leave would be for the best for the club​


Gerard Pique advised Joan Laporta and told him that the solution to Barcelona's delicate financial situation was to not renew Lionel Messi's contract, according to El Paris.


"Without Leo, the financial fair play issue is fixed," the Barça centre back said to the president, who had been looking for a formula to keep Messi at the club since being elected in March. He didn't find one.

According to the cited information, Pique suggested it would not be a big deal if Messi left. The conversation reached Messi, who felt betrayed by the defender, who he had played alongside at Barça for many years.


The saga ended with Messi moving to Paris Saint-Germain.

The El Pais article also reveals that Messi struggled to adapt to life in Paris, but he tried to "win round" the PSG dressing room from day one.

"I was surprised by the Leo that arrived in Paris," added one unnamed PSG player in the report. "He's more social, he asks you things and tells you things about his life."

Another said: "He doesn't speak. He sits in his place quietly and looks at everything."





 
Looks like Franck Kessie is heading to Barca. According to this article, Barca have held negotiations with Kessie for the last few months and those negotiations have intensified over the last few weeks.




El futuro de Franck Kessié empieza a teñirse de blaugrana. El Barça, que ya inició las negociaciones con el marfileño hace meses, las ha intensificado en las últimas semanas. El club y el centrocampista del Milan han aproximado sus posturas en el plano económico, por lo que su llegada al Camp Nou está, cada vez, más cerca.
 
It looks like Xavi is really getting Barca "back". They knocked out Napoli in the Euro League (winning -4-1 away) and have scored 4 goals in 3 or their last 4 games in La Liga.
Ousmane Dembélé, Sergiño Dest and Frenkie de Jong are starting to play really well and both Aubameyang and Luuk de jong are scoring regularly.
 
Barca just signed a top prospect in Pablo Torre ... and Andreas Christensen has apparently signed a 5 years deal with them.
They are certainly back in business - but I hope they're battle wise now :cool:


 
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Barca totally dominated Real M. in their 4-0 El Clasico win, and they could easily have scored 2-3 more goals.
Xavi has done an excellent job since he took over. Tiki-taka football is back
 
Barca totally dominated Real M. in their 4-0 El Clasico win, and they could easily have scored 2-3 more goals.
Xavi has done an excellent job since he took over. Tiki-taka football is back
They did draw 0-0 against , Galatasaray the other week. Sevilla (2nd in the league) got bullied by an average westham.

Tiki taki may win in Spain but not convinced "it's back"
 
They did draw 0-0 against , Galatasaray the other week. Sevilla (2nd in the league) got bullied by an average westham.

Tiki taki may win in Spain but not convinced "it's back"
That's how tiki-taka football works, unfortunately ... Even during the hey-days of Xavi-Iniesta-Messi they would totally dominate possession but not be able to score.
I know that not everyone likes tiki-taka football but I happen to do
 
Barcelona have massively improved under Xavi.

I mean, the guy has won everything there is to win in football so I can't see how anyone would disagree with his coaching and tactics.

Legend.
 
That's how tiki-taka football works, unfortunately ... Even during the hey-days of Xavi-Iniesta-Messi they would totally dominate possession but not be able to score.
I know that not everyone likes tiki-taka football but I happen to do
Do they beat city or Liverpool? Tiki taki is back makes me think you meant top in the world, admit I may have read more into it it then you meant.


I think 1-5 PL would be on top
 
Do they beat city or Liverpool? Tiki taki is back makes me think you meant top in the world, admit I may have read more into it it then you meant.


I think 1-5 PL would be on top
Ok, you obviously misunderstood what I meant. I meant that Barca is back playing tiki-taka football - after playing "uninspiring" football under Koeman - and not that they are top of the world. At least not yet.
 
It's early steps. Do you expect this Barcelona to go against City, Liverpool or Bayern (at their day)? Of course not. But these are incredible early signs for them. Xavi has done a miracle in turning this season around.
 
Real M just reached the CL semis.
And the way Barca has played lately they've been anything but shite.

Neither are shite but both aren't the teams they once were. They may slowly get there again but I think if you're the likes of Man City and Liverpool you don't fear playing either as they would have once done to an extent.
 
Neither are shite but both aren't the teams they once were. They may slowly get there again but I think if you're the likes of Man City and Liverpool you don't fear playing either as they would have once done to an extent.
Oh yes, that's true. Under Guardiola Barca were arguably one of the best-ever clubs in history and the only way to beat them was to form a defensive wall. They had 65-80 % possession even against the very best teams of that time - like Real M., Chelski
But Barca have good young back-bone in ter Stegen (who's found his old form back), Araújo & Eric Garca, Nico Gonzalez, Pedri & Gavi; Ferran Torres & Anusu Fati.
But they won't easily replace players like Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and the young versions of Dani Alves, Busquets and Messi. No club would.
 
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Apart from Reguilon, Barca are also said to be interested in the following 4 LBs. Apart from Angeliño , the other 3 have one thing in common: they are formed Barca players...

Marc Cucurella (Brighton)
Juan Miranda (Betis)
Sergio Gómez (Anderlecht)
Angeliño (Leipzig)
 
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