BarcelonaBarça has set itself the goal of reducing the wage bill of its basketball team by more than 12 million euros. Of the almost 40 million euros invested this season, the club expects to go to just 27.2. This is the largest cut in the history of the section.
On Tuesday, the club gave its version of the departure of Sarunas Jasikevicius. According to Barça’s story, the Lithuanian coach had a salary of 3.7 million euros and his reduction proposal was much lower than what the organization needed. The difference between the two parties was almost one million euros. Although Saras’ continuity was the first choice, discrepancies surfaced Thursday, when his representative, Igor Crespo, the same one who advises Nikola Mirotic, issued a 24-hour ultimatum.
The defiance did not please the offices of Barça, who activated the option of Roger Grimau. The name of the ex-captain, a man trusted by Joan Laporta, had been on the table for some time, but the outcome happened very quickly. The disagreement over the salary has not been the only distance between Barça and Saras, who had been checking for some time how their planning did not match much. The signing of Kevin Punter, a player with the need to skip the coaches script, was another reason for disagreement. The incorporation of the Partzan American is very advanced.
What about Mirotic and Higgins?
Barça has not yet reached a release agreement with Nikola Mirotic. The club, which wants to close the issue before Friday (June 30), has made different financial proposals, but the player is asking for full payment for the two years he has signed. One of the offers of the Culer entity is to pay him a one-year contract, but from the summer of 2024. The figure that the Montenegrin has paired is around 22 million euros gross. If there is no agreement, the situation will be resolved in court.
The next release that Barça will have to negotiate is that of Cory Higgins. In addition, Kyle Kuric and Mike Tobey will not continue in the Barcelona team. The idea of the club is that both James Nnaji and Sertaç Sanli, who has a renewal offer down, continue to play as locals at the Palau Blaugrana. If he succeeds in linking Punter and the continuity of the two interior players, Barça would try to close the market with two more signings.
Grimau made his debut with an interview on Barça TV, the channel that the club will dismantle this Friday. “I am very convinced of the work we will do, of the players I have and will have. I am certain that we will make a very good team. The most important thing is that the players now see how I am, transparent as water, and try to make them believe in the way I work,” said the coach.
“I like my teams to play cheerfully, to engage the fans. But first I have to land, see what we have and adapt the pieces they play. We hope to play good basketball,” he commented. The squad must be one of Barça’s mainstays. “Hopefully things that already started happening with Saras, which is that players from the base appeared, continue to happen. I know them very well, but they have to continue working hard. It is difficult, because we are in a club with a lot demand, which must win yes or no. There are special cases, which do not feel so much pressure, but we must be careful with all of them”, said Grimau.
“The audience at the Palau is special and I really enjoyed being with them. I dream of seeing and experiencing it again, now as a coach. I know that I have to do my job, and how I want to do it and with whom I will. And from here, I hope the team will convince the public as quickly as possible,” he added.
2023-06-27 13:48:43
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