Barcelona's summer has been full of signings, financial issues and anger from other teams.
Despite the club being more than $1 billion in debt, six new arrivals have arrived for almost $200 million.
To ease the financial pressure in the short term and allow their new signings to be registered, they have sold a percentage of their future television rights and of their media production unit Barcelona Studios, but the approach of club president Joan Laporta has led to accusations he is gambling with the club'
The club is trying to get out of a hole. Is everything going according to plan? It is not possible to say yes. They are supposed to do what they are supposed to do. Most of the time.
The first era in charge of the club was so successful that Laporta is repeating it again. Whatever it is, it's all or nothing. He blamed previous regimes for the mess he created.
He found the perfect villain in his immediate predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu.
The separation of businesses allowed the club to buy players. Bartomeu would agree with the decisions made on the sporting side by the former president. Everything was okay.
The civil war at Barcelona has always been between the Catalan establishment and the Laporta side, represented by Bartomeu and Rosell. The club president is often forced to go for short-termism because of the dynamic.
Barcelona took out loans and sold parts of the club in order to buy players. The problem was that they weren't able to pay the new signings' wages while adhering to the rules.
Previously, they needed a four-penny saving to be able to invest one of the club's saved money. The registration of Kounde, who will probably play in his place, will probably be aided by the fact that a massive reduction of the wages of a player is something that seems done but has slowed down recently.
Laporta has decided to spend most of the money available now to assemble a strong squad, trusting that success on the pitch will bring money and partners, which will help pay wages and transfer fees in the future, which will bring success, and so on.
Barcelona believes that their brand is so strong that it will survive even one or two years without the biggest successes as long as players wear their shirts.
The people that don't see the whole plan in the same way as Laporta do.
Barcelona had an income of 170 million euros in 2003 when Laporta first arrived. It was possible for improvement with smart decisions.
Barcelona is at the top of the income tree and the brand is as strong as it could be. Growth in the short term will not come from winning major trophies again. The club has maximized traditional ways of earning money.
Laporta has sold almost half of the club's digital business, which is the only real way to grow in the long term.
The key from now on is to generate cash flow, but the first draft of the club's budget suggests operational losses. The only way to balance the revenues and expenses is to sell more parts of the institution.
Laporta's vision needs to succeed on the field.
They can be successful on the pitch. The new icon is not Ronaldinha. The success in Laporta's first era was based on local products.
I can't tell if Pedri is the same as Iniesta, but I can tell he's not as good as Messi. Most games will be won based on the quality of the team. They don't know how they will perform against the big sides.
It is clear that it is a work in progress after the opening day goalless draw. The manager and Laporta are confident that they will get there.
That's one of the keys to football. Hope is given to a team and a club. The job of a club and a manager is to envision a better future.
If success does not come on the pitch, what will happen? I'm sure Goldman Sachs would be willing to take over the club if needed. Barcelona don't have to pay back the credit they received to rebuild the stadium until they make money from the new installations, and that's a great deal for the club.
The ownership of the club is shared between those that have bought parts of the club and season ticket holders.
There is a lot of negativeativity about Barcelona coming from England.
The backlash is inevitable when you repeat ad nauseum that you are a special club and then you don't act like it.
Let's tell a different tale. This is a massive club looking to survive in a post-pandemic world that has changed a lot in the last 10 years, with rival clubs backed by states and a premier league that is much better in financial terms.
It is a fascinating prospect. Why do people want to see Barcelona fail? There is an element of jealousy and resentment that some big clubs attract, while others are sad that the old romantic version of Barcelona is over and they are becoming just another club.
The club's behavior towards Frenkie is scandalous. It's not the first time a club tries to push a player out of their way.
What I see is a continued fascination with La Liga. Recent times have seen the belief that La Liga is dead or dying, similar to the belief that the premier league is dead or dying. Real Madrid won the European Championship. Maybe that explains some reactions.
If I were you, I would keep an eye on the league. There are more fireworks to come.
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