When Lionel Messi came out and announced that he wanted to leave Barcelona it made it clear that something wasn’t right behind the scenes, but it’s starting to look like the President may have been in the issue all along.
There’s no doubt that the club have been an absolute shambles when it comes to their long term planning on the pitch. A succession of managers came and went without a clear philosophy, the path from the academy to the B team has been largely shut off and the squad is stuffed with average veteran players.
Barca were only in the title race last season because Real Madrid took ages to get their act together, so the fans will be hopeful that Ronald Koeman will turn things around.
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Barcelona have Presidential elections coming up next year, and they could be vital to the club for many different reasons.
Josep Maria Bartomeu has overseen a pretty torrid time in Barcelona’s history, and a report from Sport has indicated that Lionel Messi may sign an extended deal to stay at the club depending on what happens with the upcoming elections.
It sounds like he’s open to staying if a new person comes in with a project that sounds exciting, so it really does indicate that Bartomeu was the reason he wanted to go.
It’s not a total shock, as we’re talking about a man who’s been accused of stripping the club of it’s identity and philosophy, while there have been suggestions that he could face prison for his negligence in terms of running the club – or also for corruption.
If a new President can come in and agree a new deal with Messi then it immediately puts them on the front foot with the fans, so it sounds like his exit from Barcelona isn’t inevitable next summer after all.
I really want Leo Messi to stay in Barcelona and finish his career