Just a few minutes after Jordi Alba had virtually secured the title for Xavi's side on Tuesday night, Barcelona dropped something of a bombshell on the football world.
The Catalans have confirmed in a statement that transfer expert Mateu Alemany will be leaving the club at the conclusion of the current season, one year before the expiration of his contract in 2024.
The rumor mill was quick to go into action, stating that Alemany has been persuaded to join Aston Villa in the Premier League by a large offer that he simply can't reject. The rumor mill was quick to get into action.
The abrupt departure of Alemany comes as a surprise and will necessitate the implementation of significant organizational changes. There may be a need for even more, as recent sources have indicated that Jordi Cruyff may follow Alemany out the door at the conclusion of the current season.
It has been speculated that Antonio Cordon will succeed Alemany as leader of the organization. Cordon worked alongside Cruyff on the Ecuador national team, was formerly the director of football at Monaco, and has also had positions at Villarreal and, most recently, Real Betis. Cruyff is familiar with Cordon's work because of their time together.
After departing Los Verdiblancos in February of this season, Cordon was at one point mentioned as a candidate for the head coaching position at Villa.
During his time as manager at Betis, the team was successful on the field, capturing the Copa del Rey and achieving qualification for Europe on two separate occasions when he was in charge of the Benito Villamarin.
Director Mateu Alemany Leaves Barcelona: Full Story
But why does Alemany leave at this time? There are a lot of rumors floating around, but it appears like he will be moving to the Premier League and joining Aston Villa.
According to reports, Unai Emery's team has extended an offer to Alemany that includes both a long-term project and a financial package that Barca just cannot compete with.
Is there anything else to it but that? The gossip mill seems to agree with that assessment. According to Cope's assertions, Alemany's departure can be attributed to two different factors.
The main concern is that the club's ongoing financial difficulties are making it “very difficult” for the sporting director to plan for the upcoming season. It is also said that he was opposed to the idea of re-signing Lionel Messi because he believed it would be detrimental to the club's finances.
It is believed that Barcelona would like to sign Lionel Messi after his current deal with Paris Saint-Germain expires in the summer, but it remains to be seen whether or not this would be possible.
The head of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has already acknowledged that a comeback from Messi would be “very complicated.”
The only thing that can be said for certain at this moment is that Messi will most likely be moving on, especially in light of the fact that he was handed a two-week suspension earlier this week.
RAC1 holds a similar viewpoint regarding Alemany. It was reported that the club's sporting director was concerned about the financial situation of the organization and “believed that a competitive team could not be made with the salary margin” that was available.
Before this latest development, which unquestionably takes things up a notch, Alemany himself had openly admitted that Barcelona were already set for an intriguing summer.
However, whoever takes over will have their hands full with a tremendous amount of work because Alemany has promised to assist Barcelona over the summer.
