It’s not been the greatest of seasons for Xavi Hernandez and Barcelona, and yet the Catalan outfit find themselves second in La Liga and in the quarter finals of the Champions League.
Given their form across the campaign so far success in both competitions is unlikely, but it’s definitely possible if they get the rub of the green in the final part of the 2023/24 season.
In some respects, Xavi announcing his departure from the club early has galvanised his troops who will understand that they’re now playing for their places, given that any new incumbent will be running the rule over performance levels and the like once their ushered through the entrance door by Joan Laporta and Deco.
De Jong is happy at Barcelona
Both the president of the club and the sporting director are up against it in terms of turning around the fortunes of the Spanish giants both on and off the pitch.
The awful tenure of Josep Maria Bartomeu has left Barca mired in debt which clearly has a knock on effect on what standard of players can be brought in or kept.
One player that appears to be going nowhere despite persistent rumours linking him with a move elsewhere is Frenkie de Jong.
The Dutchman has often been the fulcrum for the Catalans when fit, his energetic bursts from midfield a key feature of Barca’s attacking rhythm. Not to mention a willingness to get back and help his defence as required.
His all-action performances are deserving of more acclaim that he often receives, however, that hasn’t apparently curtailed his enjoyment of wearing the blaugrana.
“Despite the new rumours that have been in the news this week which suggest that Barcelona are considering selling Frenkie de Jong, I’m not aware of this honestly,” Fabrizio Romano said to CaughtOffside in his exclusive Daily Briefing.
“Frenkie has said many times in public that he’s very happy at Barça, and Laporta even said just a couple of days ago that Frenkie is a crucial part of the club’s project.
“So, at the moment, the situation between the parties is understood to be very calm.”
Whether the situation changes at the end of the season will ultimately depend on Barcelona’s financial position at that point.
It’s clear that the club need to get money from somewhere in order to be able to ensure that the club can continue to compete at the highest level in all competitions.
Doing so by selling one of your best players – Ronald Araujo also appears to have been mentioned as another potential sale – is surely not conducive to that aim though.