This summer, FC Barcelona was at the heart of the summer transfer window with the saga of Nico Williams, who ultimately did not join Barcelona and preferred to stay at Athletic Bilbao. Barça only signed the arrivals of Pau Victor and Dani Olmo, who had difficulty registering in time. FC Barcelona’s finances also greatly animated the summer rumors, since several players were forced to leave, like İlkay Gündoğan and the two Joãos (Cancelo and Félix). A turbulent summer, on which Joan Laporta, has long returned.
At a press conference, the Catalan president first took stock: “We are very happy with what we have done in the market. Dani Olmo was the priority and Deco told us he would improve the team. We have achieved that and I am very happy with his presence in the team and his performances. He deserves a lot of credit for what he has done and also for Flick’s work (…) We could have put in place a guarantee to conclude a last-minute signing, which was already done, but we did not want to put our individual assets at risk”he first mentioned, assuring that his club was getting back on track financially.
Joan Laporta denies İlkay Gündoğan
“With the 1/1 rule, the final registration will be extended and will allow us to register Olmo without problems. A very good job has been done”assured Laporta, before returning to the summer soap opera: Nico Williams. All this, without getting too wet. “There are many players who want to come to Barça. I can’t name names, but it’s not true that they don’t want to come. But sorry, you’ll allow me not to talk about the players who aren’t ours. I won’t comment on the aspects of the players who aren’t part of our team.”he dodged before returning to the departures of the two João (Cancelo and Félix): “As for the first team configuration, we decided that the best squad was the one we have at the moment. They were on loan, the loan ended on June 30 and they took different paths. Felix is at Chelsea and Cancelo at Al-Hilal, it’s good for them.”. Finally, Joan Laporta made revelations about the departure of İlkay Gündoğan, transferred to Manchester City due to the financial problems of the Catalan club.
For him, it was not economical: “It was a sporting decision by Gündogan, and also by City. It had an economic impact on our accounts, but the reason is not economic (…) Gündogan is an excellent player and a great person. But after a meeting between Gündo and Flick, and after assessing the situation we had in the team, he wanted to leave. It was a sporting decision. We compensated for it with the arrival of Olmo, who fulfilled a similar function. With all due respect, it was a decision that was taken by both parties.”he concluded, adding that there would be winter signings thanks to the new contract signed with Nike.
