So far in the 2021-22 season, Barca have played 50 games, and they have only achieved a record of 25 wins, 13 draws and 12 losses. According to the World Sport newspaper, this is Barca's worst performance in the last 5 years, with the fewest wins in more than 5 years and the most losses in 5 years. The unbeaten run was 76 percent, nearly 20 percentage points below the 94 percent in 2017-18.
But we should also see that the situation that Barca are facing this season is complex. Barca faced a change of coach in the middle of the season, and the team's injuries were serious during the previous Coaching Period, and the manpower was stretched. After Xavi took office, Barca's trend showed a clear momentum of improvement, thanks to the team's wave of reinforcements in the winter window.
Therefore, for Xavi, who aims to reinvent Barca's glory, the summer window will be another perfect time to build an ideal squad, and he has already made plans for the future development of the team.
According to the Daily Sport, Barca director Alemani will listen to offers from up to 10 players in the team, including Neto, Lenglet, Umtiti, Mingeza, Depe, Bryswitt, Baldur, Puge, as well as Traore, Dest, De Jong, Luc De Jong and so on. Some of their players may be loaned out or swapped, while others are sold outright.
During bartomeu's time, Barca's redundancy plan has not been smooth, and several players in the team have been put on the "shelves" but have never been cared for. For example, Umtiti, Barca's number one "nail household"; after LaPorta took office, Barca are still committed to cleaning up redundant staff, driving down the team's salary expenses, and have made good progress.
Although director General Alemani is tough, it is not an easy task for Barca to clean up the more than 10 players in a summer window.
First of all, as before, the willingness of these players to leave is not strong. The reason is obvious, these players can get a satisfactory salary at Barca, but leaving means a salary cut. A player like Umtiti, who has been out of the game for a long time and has injury risks, where to find such a contract at this age. Although the last renewal was a disguised salary cut, the contract term has become longer and the protection has been longer.
Players like Lenglet and Brycewirt can play as the main players in the middle and lower teams without Barca, but these teams are unlikely to pay them close to 6 million yuan in annual salaries. After Aubameyang joined, Depay's position was impacted. Fati has made a comeback and Harvey has a backup center this summer. But Depay's annual salary at Barca is 9.53 million euros, much higher than during the Lyon period, and it is impossible to go back. The Premier League giants have the ability to afford his salary, but he does not have the strength to stand.
Therefore, it is not easy to find the right buyer for these players. Relatively easy are loan players, such as young players Balde and Phuket. In addition, Traore will certainly not be bought out, and Barca cannot spend 30 million on him. Luc De Jong will also leave the team when his loan contract expires.
But it is De Jong and Dest who really determine the quality of Barca's summer window, which are also the two players who are the most valuable for Sale at Barca, especially the former. De Jong's transfer rumours continue, Barca have given the green light for his departure, and Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in bidding. If more than 80 million funds can be recovered from De Jong, it is enough for Harvey to strengthen multiple positions.
In short, it is difficult to make a big difference with Barca's current squad configuration, and reinforcement is the only way to get close to the championship. Until then, all Barca needs to do is get as many marginal players as possible to leave, free up salary space and raise more operating capital to do a big job in the summer window. You know, the next door is about to take Mbappe, and Barca is already eager to try.