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The last few days have not been easy for Barcelona president Joan Laporta, and next week promises to be equally challenging.
The president has no more fault than himself for not having been able to sign Dani Olmo, knowing full well the deadline, and now faces a situation in which the player could have to leave for free.
Needless to say, the complicated situation has raised questions about Laporta’s tenure, as the Barcelona club president is still struggling endlessly financially.
Covering a deep hole
While it is true that it is correct to question the president for the lack of tangible and noticeable improvements after years, we must go back and understand how deep the financial crisis was in which the previous administration abandoned the club.
As reported by Guillem Borrás Pérez via Jijantes FC, comparing the club’s five highest salaries now with those when Laporta took over shows the extent to which he has had to work to stabilize the sinking ship.
In 2020-21, when he took over, the club’s highest earner was Lionel Messi with a gross salary of 71 million euros per season.
Antoine Griezmann came in second place with €37.5 million, while Samuel Umtiti, Sergio Busquets and Philippe Coutinho were the next three highest-paid players with €32 million, €24 million and €21 million respectively.
In comparison, the player who earns the most at Barcelona today is Robert Lewandowski, who earns 33.3 million euros per season.
Frenkie de Jong follows with 19 million euros per season, while Ansu Fati, Jules Kounde and Raphinha close the list with 13.9 million euros, 13.5 million euros and 12.5 million euros respectively.
Therefore, it is not surprising to see why Barcelona significantly exceeded the allocated wage bill and struggled to return to the 1:1 rule for years.
After years of working tirelessly behind the scenes to negotiate pay cuts and salary deferrals, Laporta returned Barcelona to the 1:1 rule. Now, however, the registration problem has not yet been resolved.
