That Barcelona was one of the most active top clubs during the winter mercato is remarkable to say the least. Didn’t the books in Catalonia turn blood red? Yes, but what do you do when you’re in trouble? You call a lawyer. That is exactly what Barcelona president Joan Laporta did after his re-election in March 2021.
Who is Mateu Alemany? In 2000 almost to Real
March 2021. Joan Laporta has just won the FC Barcelona presidential election. Actually, that’s a poisoned gift.
Barcelona is in very difficult weather. The financial figures are blood red, the future of Lionel Messi is unclear and the club has just been kicked out of the Champions League by PSG.
Laporta calls Mateu Alemany. The 58-year-old Spaniard is no stranger in his own country. The lawyer by training has a long resume in Spanish football.
Alemany took his first steps at the club of the island where he was born, RCD Mallorca. He quickly climbs the hierarchy to become CEO. Soon after, the current sporting boss of Barcelona ended up at Real Madrid in 2000.
When Florentino Perez becomes president for the first time in Madrid in 2000, he asks Mateu Alemany to become general manager. He thanks for the offer and remains faithful to Mallorca.
Promptly the owner of Mallorca offers him the chair of chairman. It is during this period that Alemany does his first golden business.
He snatched 19-year-old Samuel Eto’o from Real for 4.5 million euros. Four and a half seasons later, Mallorca sells the striker for 27 million euros to Reals arch-rival Barcelona. Eto’o becomes a global star.
During those negotiations, it’s been nearly 18 years since Alemany impressed Joan Laporta.
Samuel Eto’o
Around 2010, Alemany disappears from football for a long time as an active director. Until Valencia appoints him as general manager in 2017. His period of 2.5 seasons is a sporting success.
He urges chairman Peter Lim to pump money into the team in order to be successful again. Following the example of Atletico Madrid.
His plan works. Valencia plays the Champions League again, wins the cup against Barcelona and Alemany gives youth product Ferran Torres a professional contract. Only Lim doesn’t feel like pumping more money into the club anymore. Alemany resigns together with trainer Marcelino. Valencia finished the season 13th.
Where did Barcelona find 55 million for Torres?
“Many people shake the tree in the hope that the fruit will fall out. Alemany climbs the tree and picks the apple he wants,” the Spanish newspaper Marca quotes an anonymous source from Mateu Alemany’s entourage as saying.
The apple that Barcelona wanted most this winter is called Ferran Torres. Trainer Xavi speaks with Torres and would see in the young Spaniard a player around whom Barcelona can build a new future.
The only problem is money. Barcelona suffered a loss of 481 million euros in the 2020-2021 season. The biggest loss ever in football.
Many people shake the tree. Alemany climbs the tree.
The sporting director of Barcelona does not shake a tree where nothing would fall in the run-up to the winter mercato. Instead, he dives into accounting until he finds 55 million euros (plus 10 million euros in bonuses) and money for Torres’ salary.
For the transfer fee, Barcelona took out a loan of almost 600 million euros with investment bank Goldman Sachs. It not only serves to pay off City in four installments of 13.75 million euros each.
The loan from Goldman Sachs runs over ten years and is vital to be able to pay off the loans that Barcelona had in the short term. The threat of bankruptcy has thus been eliminated. Now Torres’ wages.
Laporta the good cop, Alemany the bad cop
Chairman Joan Laporta spoke big words after the presentation of Torres. “We are once again a major player in the market. The rebuilding of Barca is a reality.”
About the protracted negotiations with Ousmane Dembele, Laporta said weeks ago that he was reassured and that Dembele is “better than Mbappe”.
Did the chairman realize that he was putting Dembélé in a very strong negotiating position? Mateu Alemany certainly realized it. He already proved to be the new realist of Barcelona. And he is sometimes very hard.
Special constructions for Umtiti, Aubameyang, but not for Dembélé
The biggest challenge of Torres’ transfer was getting the player signed up. The salary cap for Barcelona this season has been set by La Liga at 98 million euros, while the wage cost was 432 million for players and staff.
Alemany begins untangling the knots Messi, Griezmann and Pjanic on the payroll. Figureheads Piqué, Busquets and Alba also give in. Dani Alves gets a minimum contract and Aguero’s forced retirement is a windfall financially. But that’s not enough.
Alemany has to be creative. For Torres’ wages, he uses a loophole in La Liga rules. They stipulate that clubs can spend 25 percent of what they save on a new player. So if they save 100 million they can spend 25 million.
Alemany first manages to convince Aston Villa to take Coutinho’s full wages during his loan spell and then devises an (unexpected) plan for the Frenchmen Umtiti and Dembélé.
They get a longer contract, but at lower conditions (Umtiti) or the same conditions (Dembélé). That way Barça saves on accounting. Umtiti snapped, Dembele didn’t.
Alemany then gave an unseen interview before the cup match against Athletic Club. “We have looked for a middle ground to keep Dembele at the club. Those proposals have been systematically brushed aside. That is why we have informed him that he must leave the club immediately.” (See video).
Dembélé is not going to get away this winter. However, Barcelona will probably still propose striker Aubameyang this week. Barça found another loophole. It convinced Arsenal to let the striker leave for free. For transfer-free players, other rules also apply in Spain.
The winter mercato is now over, but Barcelona already made a transfer 11 months ago, which will determine the future of the club: signing Alemany.
Many fans are still skeptical. Not about his qualities, but about his Madrid past and about the transfers of Aubameyang and Traoré.
