The Barça football potion that the basketball section cannot copy

BarcelonaAfter two very poor seasons and with an economic climate that doesn't allow for major investments, Barça's basketball team needs to reinvent itself. The big problem is that the Blaugrana 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 accentuate the focus on young players. The new international landscape allows American universities to offer contracts that the club can't afford. This causes promising young players to leave for the United States at an increasingly early age. The departures of Kasparas Jakucionis and Dame Sarr will be emulated by Mathieu Grujicic and Raúl Villar.

"When I was sporting director at Barça, financial constraints had a significant impact on us. There wasn't even money for football. The solution we found was to invest in young players, and the strategy worked very well for us. The key was imagining the team we would like to have in the future," recalls Eduard Portela. The problem is that, given the current situation, any investment in the youth system seems to have an expiration date.

The expansion of the Euroleague and the arrival of new teams with large budgets, such as Dubai BC and Hapoel Tel-Aviv, are forcing Barça to make a move to avoid being left behind, as the season has been very disappointing. The Blaugrana team did not make it past the quarterfinals in either the Copa del Rey, the Euroleague, or the Liga Endesa. The Catalans have accumulated 34 losses in a season in which, for the first time since 1992, they have not reached any of the semifinals of the three major titles they aspire to.

Injuries and a lack of response have affected a season in which the team has ended up competing with only nine professional players. "It was a very tough end, like the entire season. The players ended up exhausted, dead. Many players couldn't take it anymore, but we had no alternatives to refresh our legs and minds," says Joan Peñarroya. The manager from Lleida acknowledges that the results aren't good, but he wants to highlight the effort of the locker room. "It's not the time to take stock right away, but it's obvious that Barça shouldn't be eliminated in the quarterfinals. The result isn't what we wanted, but many things that happened need to be analyzed," he says.

Barça assumes that Chimezie Metu, Youssoupha Fall, and Justin Anderson, whose contracts are up, will not continue with the team. The club also has Tomás Satoransky, Juan Núñez, Nico Laprovittola, Kevin Punter, Darío Brizuela, Joel Parra, Jabari Parker, and Jan Vesely, who are under contract. "Summers are always important for defining things; we'll have time to think about what happened," summarizes Peñarroya. Barça has two players agreed upon: Toko Shengelia (Virtus Segafredo Bologna) and Myles Cale (Trento). The power forward is already familiar with the Endesa League, and the shooting guard has had a strong season in the Eurocup.

The rest of the signings depend on what happens with Àlex Abrines and Willy Hernangómez. Both have current contracts, but the club is unclear about their future. The captain is mulling over his future, and the center has finally driven Peñarroya to despair. The problem is that his contract with the club expires in 2026, and his departure won't be easy.

"Two very tough years"

Juan Carlos Navarro, who has secured the continuity of his right-hand man, Mario Fernández, assumes Peñarroya will remain in the dugout. "We made a financial effort by bringing in Raúl Neto, going over budget and with the whole issue of financial fair play, but it backfired. The club's situation is what it is, but I'm optimistic," says Navarro.

"I understand the fans are upset, but we've made a huge effort despite the budgetary constraints," recalls Navarro, who gives the team a passing grade for their season. Most fans don't share the same view, nor do some players. One of those who always speaks clearly is Joel Parra. "We feel frustration and anger because Sunday's game was a summary of the season. We've fought, but it's not a good season for Barça. I'm not just talking about not winning any titles, but about the feelings. It's not normal and we must be aware of that. I won't say what I think because it would be negative. I'm not happy with the fans, because we've had two very tough years," says the Catalan forward. Barça won't even play in the ACB Super Cup next season.