pending renewals at the most difficult time in offices

Barcelona Barça have seen in just three months how their coach and their sporting director have decided to leave. This fact draws attention in a special way in a team that during 2023 has been champion of Europe and has only lost on the field of play one game in the whole year, against Madrid CFF when it already had the League mathematically won . Beyond shocking offers from the United States and proposals from the Spanish Federation (Markel Zubizarreta decided to leave without having it yet), it is clear that there are other reasons that have caused the two pillars of the sports management of ‘one of the best football teams in history have taken the decision to fold almost at the same time. These reasons are summed up in the doubts regarding the future of Barça beyond this course. “For the first time, the project is not clear. Everyone is going their own way and there are more leaks than ever in the history of women’s Barça,” a person with a direct link to the Barça dressing room tells ARA.

Marc Vivés, the new sports director, cannot have more work on the table right now. People who have dealt with him think that “it is noticeable that he does not have the experience of Zubizarreta when it comes to negotiating” (he is usually accompanied by Domènec Guasch, who acts as his right-hand man). Vives has already started the search for a new coach. And, at the same time, he must make decisions conditioned by the precarious economic situation that drags Barça on the six renowned footballers whose contracts end this June 30: the two-time Ballon d’Or Alexia Putellas, Mariona, Lucy Bronze, Sandra Paños, Marta Torrejón and Oshoala. At the moment, Patri Guijarro and Mapi León are already renewed. Their salaries, and this is a fact that is very much taken into account in the noble area of ​​Barça, count for the fair play economic of the first men’s team in the League. Next, we analyze each case:

Giráldez’s substitute

The search for the new coach is being done both inside and outside the club. But the last two precedents, with both Josep Maria Bartomeu and Joan Laporta in the presidency, have led to a continuist relief on the bench. Fran Sánchez’s departure in 2019 was resolved with Lluís Cortés, who until then was Sánchez’s assistant, and the balaguerí’s departure in 2021 led to the promotion of Jonatan Giráldez, who until then was Cortés’ assistant. Following this logic, who has more numbers to occupy the position of coach from next summer is Rafel Navarro, Giráldez’s second. In fact, Navarro already sounded like one of the best positioned to replace Cortés in 2021. At the moment, Barça has offered renewal to the entire coaching staff of Giráldez, but it is not known if the 32-year-old coach will take any trusted member of the Washington Spirit, the NSWL side he will train with next season. In the event that the replacement has to be sought outside the club, one of the names being mentioned is that of the Catalan Natàlia Arroyo. The fact that Zubizarreta is no longer Barça’s sporting director plays in favor of the current coach of Real Sociedad, whose contract ends in the summer. Arroyo was not to his taste.

Barça will not meet Alexia’s demands

Alexia’s aspiration, as the ARA advanced, is to renovate for more than one million euros per year. But Barça is not ready to reach this figure. The financial situation of the club, the physical state of Alexia (who has already accumulated more than a month out of the field of play due to the discomfort in her left knee, the operation), the doubts about the sports project and the bar that will mark their salary in the face of the renewals of their colleagues, especially the one that Aitana Bonmatí will have to face next year, are making the operation difficult. But, despite having more juicy offers from abroad, the priority of the 29-year-old footballer is to continue wearing Blaugrana. Now, she and her entourage will have to decide if Barça’s latest proposal, for two seasons, is enough to sign. Alexia doesn’t look down on her.

Mariona wants to improve her conditions

The players are waiting to know who will be the coach for next season before continuing with the negotiations of their renewals. This is the case of Mariona Caldentey and Marta Torrejón, two of the footballers emblematic of Barça’s extraordinary growth over the last decade. The striker of Felanitx, according to ARA, is flexible with regard to the number of seasons that the new contract would include as long as it improves its current financial conditions, which are far from the best in the squad. On the other hand, the club has offered another year of contract to the captain of the team, Marta Torrejón, with a salary similar to the current one.

Paños and Bronze, the furthest from renovation

Of the players waiting to renew, the ones with the coldest negotiations right now are Sandra Paños and Lucy Bronze. The 31-year-old goalkeeper has seen this year how Cata Coll has taken over the starting role in the important matches and, thus, has lost the indispensable status she had had in the team since she arrived at the club in 2015. Barça’s bet is clearly that of Marratxí, so Paños could look for minutes in another team. For his part, Bronze is suffering from problems in his right knee that do not allow him to perform at his best level. This circumstance, added to his 32 years and the fact that he has one of the highest salaries in the staff, could cause his departure from Barça in the summer. In addition, the right-back would be excellently covered with Ona Batlle, who will be free to fill it when Fridolina Rolfö recovers from her injury.

The lack of a center forward guarantees

One of the unknowns is the future of Asisat Oshoala. The best African footballer of 2023 is chaining injuries and irregular performances that are causing the center forward position this season to be marked by anarchy after the departure of Geyse Ferreira. Alexia, Mariona, Salma Paralluelo and Esmee Brugts have played false 9 without it being their natural position. The alternative is young Bruna Vilamala, who returned from another injury against Rosengard. The one from Sant Vicenç de Torelló has a very promising future, but medical setbacks are not allowing it to progress properly.

2023-12-23 07:00:03
#pending #renewals #difficult #time #offices