Joan Laporta: 'We are happy with the squad'

Now that the 2024/25 transfer market had closed, and after Hansi Flick’s Barça have got the season off to such an exceptional start, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta held a press conference in the Auditori 1899 where he reviewed the last few months, discussing everything from sports to finance. "We are very satisfied with the squad and the coach we have" he said, emphasising that "we are very proud, especially because La Masia has once again become the core of our sports project."

He also expressed major satisfaction with the final outcome of the transfer market. "We wanted to make a big signing, and our top priority was Dani Olmo, as he strengthens our squad so well. His performances speak for themselves. We are also pleased with Pau Víctor, who scored a lot of goals for Barça Atlètic, as well as the players promoted from the reserve team."

If one person has worked to make this possible, it has been Deco, the director of football. "He and his team have done an extraordinary job renewing the contracts of players from La Masia and who were already integrated into the first team dynamic" said the president. "These are very young players who have blossomed and needed to have their contracts restructured. Deco has done an outstanding job this summer, and has also been crucial for registering the players we needed, what with the departures, loans, and reduction of the sports payroll. Now we have a squad with a better market value than in 2021, younger and with more future potential. We have looked to La Masia and only gone to the market when necessary. This makes us more sustainable."

Laporta emphasised that "we have a very well-prepared mood and squad, highly committed, and what we're asking of Hansi Flick is hard work and professionalism, to generate intensity every day. As a coach, he brings us the football we like and so far we have been fully aligned. He is doing the groundwork to achieve our targets."

Strong on the road to recovery

Aside from sporting matters, the economic dimension also featured prominently in the press conference. "We are in a much better position economically, athletically, and socially" said Laporta. "We are very proud to be able to stabilise the club without putting our social structure at risk … We are stronger poised than ever to complete our recovery in all areas. We can announce that we will close the season with positive ordinary results and with a record in terms of sponsorship and BLM revenue."

Barça Vision also came up. The president explained that "we are in the process of maturing, with a better ownership structure and an ambitious plan. We believe it will be a great business that can generate significant revenue for the club. We are equipping it with a good budget and expert personnel. We have had to compensate for the 40 million euros not paid by Líbero, but this season we will start to see results."

About the 1:1 rule  

Also related to the club’s finances, one of the current topics is the 1:1 rule. Laporta explained that “we have not yet reached the 1:1 rule because the sporting timeline at times does not coincide with the financial and negotiating timeline.”  

“We considered that it was not necessary to force an agreement because there were other ways to register players. We want to have the best market contracts and we can say that the agreement for the FC Barcelona sports kit will be the best sporting contract in the world of football. Could we have signed it this summer? Yes, but we did not to get ahead of ourselves because we are working in the interests of Barça.

Furthermore, he added: “To get to the 1:1 rule we are 60 million euros away. We have several ways to raise the money, and I am confident that in the next few months we can get to 1:1. What is clear is that without Deco’s work, it would be impossible.”  

On the Espai Barça 

Another of the topics was the Espai Barça. “Spotify Camp Nou is progressing as planned but we don’t want to announce a date. We are convinced that it is a reality and that, even though obstacles come up, we are overcoming them daily,” said Laporta. “The desire to return as quickly as possible is absolute, and if there are no imponderables, we will able to be back at New Year.”  

Gratitude to the members  

President Laporta did not want to miss the opportunity to thank the members for showing their “confidence” towards the club. “We have joined together to overcome obstacles, also with our team away from Spotify Camp Nou. Our members, the badge and love for the club sustain Barça. At difficult moments, the members are always there because they love Barça and they understand they have to give their support. All of this is thanks them,” concluded the president.