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Former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has lauded the Blaugrana’s performances this season, attributing their success to new signings. The Dutchman further claimed that he did not get as much support during his tenure at Camp Nou.
Koeman managed Barcelona between August 2020 and October 2021. The club did not win any trophies in that stretch and failed to impress onlookers with their style of play. Xavi, his replacement, has since turned their fortunes around, at least in Spain.
Barca currently sit at the top of the La Liga standings with an eight-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. They have already bagged the Spanish Super Cup, beating Los Blancos in the final, and are set to go toe-to-toe with them once again in the Spanish Cup semi-finals.
On the 'Andy van der Meijde - Official' YouTube channel, Koeman talked about the Catalans’ performance this season, showing a bit of disappointment for not getting as much backing as Xavi.
“Barça are doing great. I watched Barcelona vs Real Madrid, they played amazing football. They were so good," Koeman said.
“But, yea.. if you get 10 up to 12 new players.. things get a little easier. It depends on the quality of your squad. During my time that was different.”
Since taking over, Xavi has signed Ferran Torres, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Andreas Christensen, amongst others. Koeman, on the other hand, lost the club’s all-time top scorer Lionel Messi at the start of his tenure and could not sign a competent replacement.
Barcelona are currently way over their permitted wage bill, could face sanctions if not reduced
In October 2022, La Liga president Javier Tebas warned Barca about their fat wage bill, threatening to sanction them if they do not trim it down. According to Sports Mole, Blaugrana’s current wage bill stands at €656 million. Tebas has asked them to shave off a cool €156 million before the 2023-24 season to avoid getting penalized.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said:
“The levers have worked for them this season but not for the next one. They have to reduce salary mass, they cannot continue with more than 500 million euros. Because if not, next season we will find the 1/4 rule for them again.”
Barcelona will have to sell some big players to bring the wage bill down to €500 million. According to Forbes, Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres, and even Ansu Fati could be put up for sale to keep the club within the permitted limit.
