Carles Planchart, Albert Puig i Francesc Cos: "Flick would be delighted to work with us"

BarcelonaCarles Planchart (Arbúcies, 1965), Albert Puig (Cambrils, 1968), and Francesc Cos (Terrassa, 1965), all three with a history at Barça and extensive experience in the world of football, are Víctor Font's picks for the club's sporting director position. All three advocate for maximizing the potential of Hansi Flick's current squad, emphasizing that the club already has excellent professionals working there, but that "more professionalism" and "better communication and coordination between the three key areas" are needed: the transfer market, performance – which includes everything from medical services, physical conditioning and injury prevention to nutrition – and La Masia.

Hansi Flick has been working alongside Joan Laporta during the season. Could he be his coach?

— Carlos Planxart: We like him because he's a coach who always goes out to win. He doesn't play it safe. And that's how we understand football. He also has another fundamental quality: he's a good person, and that's evident in how he's settled in at Barcelona and how he manages the dressing room. It's understandable that he's aligned himself with Laporta because Laporta is the one who brought him to Barça, but the first thing we'll do, if we win, is sit down with him on Monday. We'll find out what he needs and how to get the best out of the team. He has another year on his contract, and we're confident we'll convince him to stay at Barça. Once we present him with the project, he'll be delighted to work with us.

In recent days, the team's physical preparation has been the subject of debate. What could have been done better?

— Francesc Cos: A team's chances of success are highly dependent on player availability. When the coach looks at the bench, it needs to be full, which means having few injured players. We have excellent professionals, but they lack proper management. Regardless of who wins, the various areas related to preparation need to be professionalized. The club's professionals deserve to have all the necessary tools to work effectively. Last year, Barça had the lowest player availability in La Liga, last place. High performance depends on details. When you have more availability, you have more options.

One of the clear needs seems to be signing a number 9. Is it any wonder that in Barça's last important match, against Newcastle, the center forward was 37 years old, which is Lewandowski's age?

— CP: This clearly shows a lack of planning. You can't have your center forward reach that age and not have a proven replacement, no matter how much Ferran helps in that position. It needs to be planned, not improvised.

Is Haaland the replacement? Can Barça sign him? You [Planchart] met in Madrid with City's CEO, Ferran Soriano, and sporting director Hugo Viana to discuss signing him.

— CP: Haaland has a long contract, but we must do everything possible to try. We're not inside the club and we can't know right now what Barça's position is regarding signing him. But of course we can sign Haaland. We have a plan in place for how to do it. But we have to wait for the election results, get inside the club, and see how things stand. But what we can do now is work so that the day Haaland and City decide to part ways, Barça has priority in signing him. That's what we've been working on.

Would City sell Haaland to Barça?

— CP: Why not? We are convinced that they prefer him to go to Barça and not to a Premier League rival.

And Haaland, does he want to come to Barça?

— CP: I know him well from working with him these past few years. In Madrid [Wednesday], we greeted each other, and he jokingly told me I was like a second father to him. He's always said he'd like to play in Spain; he has a house in Marbella, he loves the beach… If he has that interest, we have to use it to our advantage. If Haaland comes to play in the Spanish League, he has to come to Barça, to our home ground; he can't go anywhere else. From the conversations we've had, we know he'd most likely be open to coming to Barça. He'd be a great fit for the Barça squad.

One of the names in the campaign was Messi. Does he have a place at Barça? Can you imagine Messi having one last season as a player at Barça?

— CP: Whether or not he can play for Barça will depend on him. We'll give him the opportunity, and he knows himself well enough to know if he's capable of it or not. He and Flick will decide what role he sees himself in and for how long.

— FC: When I imagine Messi back in his kit, I get emotional. I even get teary-eyed. We can't miss seeing him in a Barça shirt again.

— Albert Puig: During my years in the United States and Japan, I realized how badly we treat legends here. Xavi, Koeman, Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Messi... We need to keep them close and they must be respected.

Did you understand Xavi's dismissal?

— CP: I think we've all lost perspective a bit with Xavi. He was the one who gave Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal their debuts, and who brought Fermín back to his best. He also won a league title against one of the best Real Madrid teams of the last ten years. Let's give him the credit he deserves.

It's true they won, but perhaps we were all expecting a Barça with more identity, like Pep's.

— CP: Look, I'll give you the example of Iniesta's goal at Stamford Bridge. I still get emotional when I think about that moment; it was the craziest day of my life. Iniesta was the one who kicked that ball, but he didn't score the goal: we all did. From the kit man to the last person there. Why? Because we were all pulling in the same direction. This, no matter how great a player you are, no matter how clear your playing style is or how fantastic your squad is, if everyone around you doesn't support you, it's impossible. We all have to be on the same page.

Let's go to La Masia. In recent years we've seen many players skip steps before making their first-team debut. Do you think this jump is a positive thing?

— AP: It's neither good nor bad: it's what's happening now at Barça and other big clubs. La Masia has always had the virtue of adapting to each era. What would be worrying is if we didn't have sufficiently prepared players. The club's financial needs have meant that several players have had to move up the ladder, but La Masia has responded.

Barça Atlètic is currently in the Segunda RFEF (Second Division RFEF). Do you think this is detrimental to the players' development?

— AP: The ultimate goal of Barça Atlètic is to develop players for the first team. The optimal age group depends on the competitive level of the squad. What really matters is their style of play, that they can develop their game.

What is your proposal for La Masia?

— AP: I think we need to involve Catalonia much more in La Masia. In recent years, Barça has influenced the playing style of all Catalan teams, and thanks to the work of all the smaller clubs, Barça has been nurtured. Now it's our turn to fuel the entire Catalan football academy, whether through financial support, scholarships, or methodology collaborations. The more we sow, the more we will reap. Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal are prime examples. We are what we are thanks to Catalan clubs.