MY ACCOUNT
Joan Laporta believes Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann showed “ignorance” by expressing his bemusement over Barcelona’s spending spree.
Barca this month signed Bayern’s prolific striker Robert Lewandowski for a fee that is said to rise up to €50million and also brought Raphinha to Camp Nou in a big-money move from Leeds United.
The Catalan giants have also agreed a deal to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla for a reported €55m, while Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen arrived as free agents.
Barcelona could not afford to keep Lionel Messi a year ago due to a financial crisis at the club, but in recent months they have sold 25 per cent of the club’s television rights for the next 25 years and secured a hugely lucrative sponsorship deal with Spotify.
Nagelsmann stated that Barca are “the only club in the world that can buy players without money” after Lewandowski’s departure.
Barca president Laporta, however, says Nagelsmann should get his facts right.
He told reporters: “What I would ask is that you look at your current account, they have received significant money from the transfer of Lewandowski. I respect everyone and do not interfere in the economy of other.”
Laporta added: “I give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they thought we couldn’t, but they hadn’t gauged the strength of Barca and the drive of the new board.
“It is ignorance, lack of information from our club. It is true that we were in a terminal situation, but we left the hospital with the levers and these gentlemen have remained on a page that we have turned.”
Laporta thinks rivals club are clearly worried that Barca will be a force again.
“If I don’t get involved in what others do, they shouldn’t get involved in what we do,” he said.
“Perhaps they do it because they think that we will continue to act in the market and they see that we have surpassed them. Let them worry about their own.
He continued: “Barca is competitive again and will compete in all competitions. The weight and strength of a club with more than 122 years of history is very great, its assets are highly valued.
“It is true that I would have liked not to sell the percentage of television rights, but the situation was complicated and required being brave and making decisions, because football does not wait and our fans, who are very well accustomed, deserve a club like Barca to compete. Our demands are greater than those of others.”
