Former Barcelona president takes credit for team’s current success: ‘We began the renewal’
Former Barcelona president takes credit for team’s current success: ‘We began the renewal’ Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been appearing in front of the media far more than normal in recent weeks, all seemingly in an attempt to save face. Over the past few weeks, he has openly come out to defend the decisions of his board and even claim that the club would be within the 1:1 Fair Play rule under his leadership. Now, he has gone one step further and seemingly claimed the credit for Barcelona’s current success as the man who laid the foundations for the same.
Bartomeu on Barcelona squad, success Speaking to the media in a recent interview, the former Barcelona president took credit for the current team’s success by claiming that his board was responsible for many of the key signings. “Of the 23 players in the current squad, there are 11 who are players inherited from the previous board. ” Naming Pedri, Ronald Araujo and Lamine Yamal as players his board should be credited for, Bartomeu said: “When their opportunity came they took advantage of it very well.
Our board was the one that most redefined the entire sports area,” he added. He then countered the criticism for the failed transfers of Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and others, all of which were for massive fees. Bartomeu’s board has been criticised by Joan Laporta & co.
(Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) “At the end of the day, it is much easier to have an opinion. The decision is always technical,” he said. “The market was growing enormously,” he added, defending the astronomical transfer fees.
He even defended the massive salaries and contracts he offered to players, both new signings and renewals. “The club could afford it. If we had known that a pandemic was coming, that type of contract would not have been made.