Barcelona warned they could become the next AC Milan or Manchester United
Barcelona have been warned that they could end up like Manchester United and AC Milan by presidential candidate Victor Font. He claims that the two aforementioned sides are unable to replicate their glory days because of mismanagement and the same could be the future of the Catalan side.
Talking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues podcast, Victor Font said:
“Competition over the last decade has become more and more professional. You see in the Premier League with clubs well managed, and even states owning clubs to put in a lot of money at a time where the finance of the club and economic model is stretched to the limit. Unless we do what we are trying, Barca has the risk of becoming a new AC Milan or a Manchester United.” [H/t DailyStar]
Barcelona are in a financial crisis right now as they have spent millions on players who are not even making the matchday squads these days. Ousmane Dembele and Phlippe Coutinho were €100M+ signings but both have failed to deliver for the LaLiga side.
While the Frenchman has been dealing with long term injuries throughout his time at the club, the former Liverpool star has been loaned out to Bayern Munich. Barcelona are now trying to sell Coutinho this summer, but it would definitely be for a significantly lesser fee than what they paid for him.
Barcelona warned by Messi last week
This is not the first time Barcelona have been warned this month. After they lost the league title to Real Madrid, Lionel Messi took a shot at the players and management.
He wants the players to take more responsibilities and also become self-critical. Talking to Moviestar+, he said:
“We didn't want to end the season like this but it represents how the season has gone. We were a very erratic, very weak, low-intensity team…We lost a lot of points and today's game is a summary of the season.”
“We have to be self-critical. Starting with the players but doing a global self-criticism. We are Barca and we have to win everything. We can't look at Madrid…Madrid have done their job, but we have helped them a lot.”
“If we want to win the Champions League, we have to change a lot. If we continue like this, we will lose the game against Napoli.”
Barcelona ended their LaLiga season on a high with a 5-0 win over Deportivo Alaves. They are now set to face Napoli in the Champions League next month and if they win the tie, they will be up against Bayern Munich or Chelsea in the next round.