Laporta's challenges

Joan Laporta finds himself in a battered Barcelona that, however, has recovered his sporting situation a bit. But that he needs an immediate economic shock plan, sports tweaks and that he has pending the renewal of Messi, the future of Koeman and the transfer to Montjuïc for two years. Although he has ten days to take office, he has to get down to work starting with the trip to Paris, where he will meet face to face with Ronald Koeman and Leo Messi. This morning, Laporta intends to do a PCR to be able to be in the Parque de los Príncipes with the team. Laporta's main challenges in his first 100 days in office are as follows.

Messi's renewal

A first summit with the player's father is urgent. Laporta announced that, before making the offer, he has to know exactly how the economy is at the club. But there must be a rapprochement between the parties so that at least it convinces the footballer to wait for the Barcelona proposal. Laporta's victory (“trust me because I have never failed him”) and that powerful image of the Argentine voting, Involved in the social life of the club, he has filled Barcelona with hope because he has closed the ugly chapter of the burofax. Maybe forever.

Organization chart

Laporta did not want to make any names public during the campaign, but it is almost confirmed that Mateu alemany will be the new general director of Barça

Koeman's future

Despite the enormous work of the Dutchman, who has built a changing room that was in ruins sportingly and emotionally; And has projected youngsters to stardom, Laporta has been tepid with the options of Koeman ending his contract, which expires in 2022. “He has the margin of the game and the results,” he repeats. During the campaign, the name of Mikel Arteta was speculated as futureable, a name with much less weight at this time in Can Barça. Koeman is not cut. “If I don't see a future for me, we will have a problem because I have one more year on my contract.” One factor can weigh heavily. The dressing room is with Koeman, who has returned the culture of effort to the team.

The economy

Joan Laporta is going to put himself in the hands of Jaume Giró, his economic vice-president, to try to save the very delicate situation of the club. The first thing Barça wants is to refinance the debt and sit down with the banks so that the 730 million short-term debt is transferred to the long term. Barça have to get money in the short term. In June, there is a maturity of the bridge loan with Goldman Sachs of 90 million euros. There are some amortizations of 186.6 million that must be paid yes or yes, with the wage bill soaring, which is almost 75% of the club's budget, and pay the bridge loan that was requested to build the Estadi Johan Cruyff. As their plan is to have liquidity, Barça thinks about issuing the famous Laporta bonds; and it will also offer members the possibility of collaborating financially with the club, returning the effort with experiences related to the first team that have not yet been made known.

Espai Barça and the possibility of going to Montjuïc

Joan Laporta must analyze with the work team what is the reality of the project and the credit of Goldman Sachs, of 825 million euros, so that the partners approve that credit in the Assembly and, perhaps, ask them about the possibility of sending the team to Montjuic two years to accelerate some works that if they cannot be eternal and, what is worse, make the work more expensive.

Moral regeneration

Laporta enters Barça days after the arrest of Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has yet to declare for Barçagate, that ugly scandal that has uncovered a sewer game at the Camp Nou. A liability action against Bartomeu is ruled out because the pandemic frees clubs from losses caused by COVID. But Laporta will order an audit that must reveal the real situation of the club and then make decisions.