What impact will Joan Laporta’s reappointment have on the future of Barcelona?

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Joan Laporta is set for his second spell as the President of FC Barcelona, however this time around it won’t be plain sailing.

It was confirmed last Sunday that Laporta will return to his role as President, succeeding Josep Maria Bartomeu, after winning the election with a resounding 56.7% of the votes.

The 58-year-old was influential in Catalonia during his first stint at Barcelona from 2003-2010, helping make some bold decisions that shaped the long-term future of the club, while also securing 12 trophies in the process.

Laporta is renowned for his innovation, a trait that had served his so well in the role previously, and was signified by his choice to promote Pep Guardiola from manager of Barcelona B to the first-team in 2008.

Prior to Guardiola’s appointment, he had only been in management for one year, but went onto become the most successful manager in the club’s history and is widely regarded as one of the best of all-time.

His vision was always clear, but perhaps slightly contrasting to the way modern teams operate, as he was always keen to utilise the resources he already had available. The focus was to help mould Guardiola’s squad around the golden generation of their famous La Masia academy which turned out to be pivotal to their success.

It was the realisation that not many additions were needed around the likes of Andreas Iniesta, Xavi, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets and Victor Valdes which made them standout, especially in an era where so many elite clubs neglect the talent emerging through their own-ranks.

Not only this, but he was the President who oversaw the emergence of Lionel Messi into the first-team, another decision which only enhances his reputation in the north-east of Spain.

Laporta’s outside the box thinking helped shape Barcelona into the European powerhouse of today and it will take many more brave decisions such as these to get them back to where they belong.

His return is reminiscent of when he arrived in the early 2000’s, as Barcelona were enduring a similarly tough spell, as well as struggling to compete with bitter rivals Real Madrid.However this time around, the task looks to be even more monumental, as they look to rectify years of mismanagement and failure to replace the ageing core of their once formidable side.

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The Spaniard may opt for a similar approach to last time, due to the potential of some of players coming through the academy again such as Pedri, Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig.

Ronald Koeman’s men haven’t been able to meet expectations so far this season, with recent struggles epitomised by their Champions League round-of-16 elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat in first-leg of the Copa Del Rey final against Sevilla last month, they managed to turn it around in the second-leg to extend their record to become 30 times winners of the competition.

They also remain in the race for La Liga currently sitting in second place, six points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. For most teams, this would be considered a reasonable season, but expectations from the fans is to win at least one of the major trophies therefore pressure is starting to mount.

Off the pitch, financial damage caused by the combination of the coronavirus pandemic and poor recruitment, means they are in over one billion euros of debt. The club still owes over €200 million in transfers for players such as Arturo Vidal and Malcolm, who have already been and gone, only demonstrating the enormity of the task ahead.

But perhaps most importantly is resolving the future of Messi, whose contract is set to expire in the summer, allowing him to move from the club on a free-transfer.Losing such a crucial player would not only come as a major set-back to the rebuild, but could be very detrimental to any attempts they have at attracting the right calibre of player in the future.

With Barcelona undoubtedly in turmoil, Laporta will have to delve deep into his repertoire of experience, to ensure they are amongst the best clubs in Europe again.

 

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