At a time when FC Barcelona is going through a period of sporting and economic uncertainty, Deco has chosen to raise the tone to recall that collective work must take precedence over the names and promises of the transfer window. He launched a clear warning to his locker room and management as the next transfer window approaches. In a long interview with Catalunya Ràdiothe former Portuguese midfielder insisted on the need to find a collective mentality and a sense of work that has been lacking in recent weeks. We are not as magnificent or as shiny as some believed it last season. We are strong only when we work together, because in addition to the quality, we need effort and unityhe said. This message, in line with the “egos kills success” launched by Hansi Flick after the draw in Vallecas (1-1), aims to provoke a reaction within a group deemed too complacent and inconsistent since the start of the season.
On the structural level, Deco has drawn up a lucid observation on the club's economic situation and its repercussions on the transfer policy. The sports director admitted that the constraints of financial fair play limit the possibilities of Barça to strengthen the team in January: “We have no margin for important purchases, but we have managed to keep the base: Pedri, Gavi, Lamine, Fermín, Raphinha … It also counts as a success. If we could act more freely on the market, it would be ideal, but we must adapt». The idea, according to him, is no longer to recruit at all costs, but to consolidate a competitive and coherent group, capable of lasting several seasons at the high level. Deco stresses that after the years of financial imbalance, the club must “build on continuity rather than urgency».
Do not rush into emergency
Asked about the offensive sector, Deco recognized that Barça lacks a real reference new, while refusing to give in to panic. “”If a Lewandowski level striker was available on the market, we would think about it. But it's not time to talk about transfers. Ferran can fulfill this role, and you should not darken with a unique profile“, He explained, taking for example Paris Saint-Germain, winner of the Champions League without a real fixed center. The former Barça player prefers to emphasize the versatility of the workforce and the progression of young people from the Masia, who must “assume more responsibilitiesOver the season. In addition, he confirmed that the club wanted to quickly renew the Jongie de Jong contract, a key element of the sports project, while recognizing that Marc-André Ter Stegen's injury had disrupted last summer planning, forcing Barça to react urgently to recruit a goalkeeper.
In the rest of his interview, Deco wanted to defend the management of the club in the Lamine Yamal file, at the heart of a controversy with the Spanish Federation. The young winger still suffers from an overload to the pubis, and Barça prefers to favor a complete recovery. “”Lamine is not good, he still has pain. We made a clear medical report, and then the federation decides. Flick was annoyed that he played two matches with Spain before returning injured, but we just do our job“Said Deco, while calling for dialogue between clubs and selectors. In the background, his speech reveals a firm guidance line: protecting young people, mastering expenses and demanding more rigor from the wardrobe. The message is clear and before thinking of recruiting, Barça must become a solid, disciplined and ambitious collective, up to its prestige.
