We’re all used to the elite clubs throwing crazy amounts of money around in wages and transfer fees, but finances are tight just now and sacking the manager can be a key financial decision.
Barcelona finally decided to show Ronald Koeman the door this week after another defeat, and a report from The Express has highlighted a couple of interesting points to this saga.
To put this into context they again point out that Barca are over one billion pounds in debt, so having to shell out £10m to get rid of Koeman isn’t going to help matters.
What it means is that money may have to be taken away from somewhere else to cover it, and it’s very likely that this now leads to Ousmane Dembele leaving for free next summer.
Dembele is currently on around £200k per week and it’s suggested that he’s looking for a pay-rise to extend that, but that’s now harder to manage when the finances are even more strained, and it could open the door to Newcastle to bring the Frenchman in.
Allowing him to go for nothing would be a total disaster for Barca when it was reported that they paid around £135m to sign him in the first place, while they don’t have the money to sign high-quality replacements now either.
At his best Dembele can provide electric pace and a goal threat from either flank, but he’s been crippled with injuries over the years and that has stopped him from getting a proper run in the team.
He’s still only 24 so it would be a big call for Barca to give up on talks, but clearly getting Koeman out was a bigger need just now.