It did look like Ronald Koeman would come in and make some sweeping changes when he took over at Barcelona, with several first team stars being linked with a potential exit.
The biggest story of the summer was Lionel Messi, but he’s now signalled his intention of staying at the club for at least one more season, so you have to think that everything will be built around him again.
He wasn’t the only one linked with an exit, as reports from Spain had indicated that Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto had been made available for transfer, and that led to their agent going on national radio to say they wouldn’t be leaving.
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Even Gerard Pique looked like leaving when Eurosport suggested that Fulham had made a serious effort to sign him, but that didn’t go anywhere either.
There’s still plenty of time in the transfer window for things to chance, but Barcelona’s official website has just confirmed that all four players have been named as the official captains for the new season, so that should shut down any further rumours about them leaving.
It doesn’t look like Barca have a lot of money to spend so the team might look pretty similar personnel wise, but it will be interesting to see if Koeman can implement a more attractive and convincing style.