Deco's big challenge
Despite Joan Laporta's electoral theatrics, everyone at Barça knew Robert Lewandowski's days were numbered. He never received a formal offer with concrete figures for renewal: since he was neither sportingly nor economically of interest, the club had been planning the future without him for months. A logical decision by Deco: it's time to rebuild the attack. Although the nuances of the story don't deceive, the Pole's farewell has been hygienic, a story of an unblemished record, and fitting for the star who decides when he wants to leave. It's healthy that there were no recriminations, only tears of emotion and gratitude. The 2022 bet has yielded four good seasons: especially the first with Xavi and the first with Hansi Flick. There was no need to drag it out or agonize. All parties have handled it well. All parties have handled it well.
Notice if it was essential to lose sight of Lewandowski, whose departure generates around 40 million euros in salary space. Furthermore, it gives the club the definitive boost to return to the famous 1:1 rule of fair play financial. At the League headquarters in Madrid, the comments are extraordinarily optimistic compared to other years: “Barça will not only be able to sign this summer, but will be able to sign well”. Is there still anyone who thinks there was a possibility the Pole would stay? While we have our coffee, we grab a paper napkin and, with a Bic pen, the calculations do themselves: if Barça signs a star for 100 million and gives him a five-year contract, the amortization is 20 million per season; with a salary of around 20, he will need 40 to register him. With the mathematics in favor thanks, in part, to the undoubted improvement in relations between the club and the employers' association, the challenge now is to manage the longed-for normality well.
The last signing that exceeded 100 million at Barça was Antoine Griezmann in 2019, before the pandemic and Messi's trauma: since then, the club has moved between scarcity and creativity, registering signings through levers, injuries, guarantees, or the maneuver with the CSD to resolve the Olmo case. And after two seasons of being Hansi MacGyver, Flick dreams of the Champions League while asking for a new player with talent to associate with but, above all, who scores goals. Julián Álvarez, João Pedro, a dark horse… and Harry Kane –in theory out of reach. Deco cannot afford to make a mistake in making the qualitative leap that the squad deserves to aspire to win, once and for all, the most prized cup: the one with the big ears.