Joan Laporta's most difficult assignment

Barcelona"More value with less investment." This is the difficult formula Barça is seeking to implement to ensure its professional sports sections remain competitive at a much lower cost. The club is emphasizing a policy of financial restraint, significantly reducing investments compared to the historical average of recent years. Joan Laporta's position falls to Xavier O'Callaghan, who was appointed director of professional sports a few months ago. "When the president asks you to do something, you can't say no," he acknowledges.

The sections have increased their income with new strategies to generate resources, but the headache that complicates their puzzle is that their numbers, which are in deficit, count towards the fair play economic impact of the Football League. "The League demanded a certain, but not exaggerated, reduction in the section part," says Laporta. "The sections have an impact on the fair play, if Barça didn't have them, each year they could spend 100 million on a player, but if Barça is more than a club it is also more than its sections," explained Enric Masip, presidential advisor, in The goal (Beteve). The poisoned legacy of Josep Maria Bartomeu's board, which opted for unsustainable spending, has complicated the future of the four teams that coexist at the Palau Blaugrana.

The basketball team has had two empty seasons. Despite serious injury problems, Barça was unable to sign the reinforcements requested by Joan Peñarroya, which condemned the team to finish the season short of players. With no salary margin to make established signings, the club opted for Raúl Neto. "We were very unlucky. He accumulated two different muscle injuries in a short period of time," the coach admits. Later, the club ended up ruling out the signing of Thomas Heurtel after having already reached an agreement with the point guard, which angered the fans.

Barça's salary budget was €31.5 million. After two very poor seasons and an economic climate that doesn't allow for major investments, the basketball team needs to reinvent itself. The big problem is that the club can't compete with the large European budgets, but neither can it imitate the strategy it implemented in football when cash constraints served to emphasize the focus on young players. The departures of Kasparas Jakucionis, Dame Sarr, Mathieu Grujicic, and Raúl Villar close the door to any transition.

While restructuring the coaching staff and awaiting Àlex Abrines' decision, Barça has reinforced its roster with Myles Cale and Juani Marcos for a season in which it will begin celebrating its 100th anniversary. The club wants Tornike Shengeila and Will Clyburn to be the next to arrive. The money raised from Jabari Parker's unexpected departure will be diversified to more than one player. "It's not good news, but it will allow us to free up a lot of salary. With this departure, we can strengthen the team in several positions for what will be a very tough year," analyzes Joan Carles Navarro. Justin Anderson and Youssoupha Fall will also not continue in the locker room.

A new cycle is born

The handball section will undergo an even greater transformation. "The assessment of the season is positive. We are satisfied and happy after a very tough year. We had a challenge at the beginning of the season. They have done a very good job because it is very difficult to stay connected with so many players leaving," says Joan Marín, the section coordinator.

The new team for the 2025-26 season will have to deal with ten absences and will feature many new faces. "We'll have a good team. Younger, eager, and we'll bring a breath of fresh air. Everything has a process and some things come to an end. We have to renew ourselves. I think we won't lose quality and we'll have a great team," says Marín, who maintains his faith in Carlos Ortega. Ludovic Fàbregas, Djordje Cikusa, Viktor Hallgrímsom, Seif Elderaam, Dani Fernández, Ian Barrufet, and Òscar Grau are some of the new additions to a team that has spent €7.3 million on salaries this season.

The futsal section is one of the areas that will undergo the most changes. Javi Rodríguez, a legend who has been trusted by Joan Laporta, will take over from Tino Pérez, tasked with rethinking a team that has already said goodbye to Sergio Lozano, Dyego Zuffo, and Khalid. The Blaugrana, which spent €4.4 million on salaries, failed to win a title for the first time since the 2016-17 season. João Victor, Pol Pacheco, and Luciano Gauna are the first reinforcements for a Barça that also needs to reinvent itself.

Ricard Ares will be the new coach of Barça's roller hockey team for the next three seasons. "It's a dream and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm very ambitious and want to work to fully represent the club's values, which is to try to win every title we participate in," says the coach, who will replace David Cáceres, accompanied by Moi Escudero. Marc Torra joins the team as the new technical secretary of the section. The former player will act as a link between the squad and the coaching staff and will reinforce the work of sports manager Gaby Cairo. "I'm very excited for Barça to once again be among the best in Europe, to fight for and win every title. To make that possible, we have to work hard," says Torra. The team has spent €2.2 million on player registrations.