Joan Laporta addressed all the current issues taking advantage of his first year in office in an interview on Barça TV.
Balance: “It has been one of the busiest years of my life. I have experienced exciting, stressful, intense moments… Very different from my first year at Barça. Now I am more demanding and mature. The best thing has been the arrival of Xavi, who He has restored the winning mentality of the team and has given hope to the fans”.
Titles: “I want more. I’m here to win titles. We want many titles, but above all the important ones. Things are being done well in the sections, especially in basketball. Everything was won in handball, this is the benchmark. But the that has come out is women’s football”.
Soccer: “The Cup was magnificent because it was an important title, but this season we did not start well. Luckily, Xavi arrived. He will still give us some joy this season. The Europa League and why not, La Liga. Difficult, but still It can”.
Mateu Germany: “He is a person with proven experience and talent, a great negotiator and he knows football perfectly. He is making a great duo with Jordi Cruyff, who is acting as technical secretary. Between the two they are working almost miracles. Both are the best that we have done”.
Messi: “It was the saddest and most painful decision, but I’m not sorry. We had to put the institution above everyone else, even the best player in the world. We collided with the reality that came from a disastrous heritage, but fortunately the history of Barcelona continues “.
koeman: “At the end of the season I already had many doubts and I let the coach know, but Ronald wanted to continue. I gave him a chance out of respect for a legend, but there was a moment when we saw that things were not going well and I had to take I made a decision. I did it respecting people. Looking back, I would have taken over sooner. I had to listen to my intuition. I will always remember Ronald for his goal at Wembley and for being a coach who bet on young people. If he’s hurt, I hope it goes away.”
Xavi Hernandez: “He is responding magnificently well. He loves the club, he knows it, he is a worker, he is sick of football, he knows the environment. I am convinced that he has been a coach for many years and that he will give us a lot of joy. He has achieved a change in mentality brutal, now the team creates chances and scores goals, plays with the system that has made us the reference in football, but there is still room for improvement to be able to compete at the highest level. We are looking forward to football and to seeing the next match to continue having a good time. This is Xavi’s credit”.
Young talents: “We are building a new stage with young people from the house. They are already present and have a great future. Pedri is very good, full of enthusiasm, not at all believed, he makes a cone”.
Araujo and Gavi: “The player has a lot to say when it comes to proposing a renewal. We have once again set football and economic criteria. Whoever wants to stay at Barça will stay. I hope they follow in the footsteps of Fati, Pedri and Nico”.
winter reinforcements: “The work has been very good, with operations very well worked out. Ferran has extraordinary quality, Adama has returned home with a splendid physique and is a different player from all, Aubameyang is a goal, and he does not run but seems to ride , and Alves makes everyone happy, creates a dressing room, has scored goals. I’m happy if he can end up playing in the World Cup”.
Future Adama and Alves: “There is an option for them to stay, with Alves it is easier, with Adama we have to look at it a little more, because we have to be very rigorous on the economic issue.”
Europe League: “I’m excited because we don’t have it. There are complicated teams. We’ve already beaten Napoli. We have to go knockout by knockout, but I think we have options. And I’m very excited about LaLiga, I’m still hopeful that we can win it, although I hoped to have cut some point to Madrid”.
Transfers: “It will depend on the decisions we make and some operations we have in mind. We have to comply with the Strategic Plan and reach the economic objectives. Then we will be able to face important signings”.
Haland: “I can’t talk about players because then the price goes up. We are going to reinforce all the lines. The important thing is that everyone wants to come to Barcelona.”
Low: “The squad has to be balanced. We can’t have ten forwards or ten midfielders. If we bring in players, others will have to come out.”
Real Madrid: “If we add three by three we will still have options. Everything is going for us in this game if we want LaLiga. We have to win at the Bernabéu”.
Economy: “We are recovering, but at a slower pace than the sports part. In the other sense, we have improved and we have managed to have credibility in financial institutions. But we need more income. We have two important businesses to strengthen ourselves with a partner, such as Barça Studios and BLM, which we will sell at 49%”.
Salary mass: “I am quite satisfied because a great effort has been made. I prefer the fight for income than for expenses, but we are at a level in some aspects 40% higher than our competitors. We have to respect the signed contracts, but even so We have been able to make a significant salary reduction”.
Spotify: “Sponsors are very important, but we need more, I’m still not completely satisfied in this regard. It’s on the right track, but it’s not signed yet. We’re optimistic. The assets that would come in are the team shirt, the training shirt and the name of the field. I like this sponsor for the music, but it is not yet closed. It will also be taken to the Assembly”.
forensics: “I hope there are no crimes, but we have put it in the hands of the Prosecutor’s Office, but we cannot spend all the time with the rearview mirror on because it is impossible to work that way.”
super league: “We are Real Madrid, Juventus and Barça, and I don’t know if any other club is still legally involved. They are trying to carry out a series of actions to show that it is a viable competition. Barça is in this competition to fight against the clubs States. There are strict regulations for some clubs and not so much for others, which do not follow the rules. In France and England they follow different rules and go with the money-making machine under their arms. UEFA has been very flexible and lax with these clubs and we have the feeling that you are sponsoring UEFA”.
reverse: “The CEO told me that he wanted to spend more time with the family and we understood. I just received a message from him, we are still in contact. There is no problem.”
Anonymous society: “Barça must always be owned by the member. I don’t know if it will be romanticism, but I am convinced that this is not the problem. Well managed, it can be carried on perfectly”.