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The 2021-22 season has only just begun but Barcelona are already in crisis. Ronald Koeman's future hangs in the balance after the Catalans fell to a 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid in their latest La Liga outing. Barcelona have won just one of their last six games and lost three of them.
There is a lot of pressure on the manager and his players to start delivering some positive results. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 5 October 2021.
Miralem Pjanic says Barcelona need a leader
Miralem Pjanic joined Barcelona from Juventus in the summer of 2020. However, he couldn't establish himself at the Camp Nou and started just six matches in La Liga in the 2020-21 season. The Bosnian international, who has joined Besiktas on loan, has kicked on with his war of words with Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman.
Pjanic has already said that Koeman's treatment of him was rather callous. Speaking to beIN SPORTS, the 31-year-old said that Barcelona might need a good leader to get back on their feet.
“[Barcelona] are going through difficult times. The results are not going as the fans want, which puts pressure on the players. Maybe a good leader is needed to get the team back on its feet. Barcelona will return to the past, but it will take some time.
“Barca are always one of the four or five biggest clubs in the world and they will go back to the old days."
Raheem Sterling keen to join Barcelona
According to Sport, Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling wants to move to Barcelona. The Catalans are reportedly weighing up a move for the 26-year-old in the January transfer window.
Barcelona have reportedly been in touch with Sterling's representatives in recent weeks. Sterling is interested in a move to Barcelona as the club is suffering from a lack of options in attack. The Englishman has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester City following the arrival of Jack Grealish.
Barcelona believe Sterling will greatly improve their attacking impetus and are likely to offer a loan deal in the winter transfer window.
Javier Tebas says Barcelona could have kept Messi
La Liga president Javier Tebas says Barcelona could have kept Lionel Messi if they hadn't signed Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta had revealed in August that Messi could have stayed at the club had they agreed to sell 10% of their business to CVC Capital Partners.
Laporta justified the club's decision by saying that it would have severely hampered the club's future if they signed the deal. The operation would have given Barcelona around €270 million.
Tebas confirmed that Barcelona could have kept the 34-year-old if they had chosen to agree a deal with CVC and not signed Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero. The La Liga president believes that Florentino Perez convinced Barcelona to pull out of the deal with CVC. Tebas told Cope
"I had dinner at Laporta's house and he agreed to sign the CVC agreement. I didn't know if Messi could renew because of that, but later I got a call [from Laporta]. 'Can we accelerate the CVC deal? The kid [Messi] is getting nervous,' he said.
"I told him: 'The day it comes out, Florentino is going to try and burst it.' And Laporta told me: 'No, no, I have character.' Florentino's behind it all, I have no doubt.
"There was an agreement that if [Barca] signed the CVC deal, they could have put 15% of the money towards signing players. In my opinion, they could have signed Messi.
"Laporta signed players like Memphis, Aguero... if he didn't sign those players, Messi could continue."
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are the only teams to have not signed the agreement with CVC. All the other 17 teams received a cash injection as part of the deal. In return for that, CVC will take 10% of La Liga's business which includes TV rights for the next 50 years.
