"Laporta and Mateu know that" - Xavi sends strong message to Barcelona board after 3-0 win over Real Madrid
Xavi Hernandez has claimed that Barcelona need more signings despite their dominant 3-0 friendly win against Real Madrid yesterday (29 July).
The Catalan giants have signed Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu to make up for Sergio Busquets' exit in midfield. Inigo Martinez has arrived in central defense following Gerard Pique's retirement midway through last season.
18-year-old striker Vitor Roque has signed for Barca for €40 million but will only join the club in January. Xavi is reportedly keen to add a new right-back and a midfielder to his team.
Barca lack a quality right-back the Spanish tactician trusts but Sergino Dest is eager to provide an in-house solution to that problem. Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Romeu wasn't a signing that the former Al Sadd manager wanted.
Xavi has now clearly outlined the need for new signings to director of football Mateu Alemany and club president Joan Laporta, saying (h/t @ManagingBarca on Twitter):
"We need more signings. [Joan] Laporta and Mateu [Alemany] know that."
Barcelona are apparently working towards raising cash to register their new signings and bring in more new faces. Nico Gonzalez, Trincao, Jordi Alba, Alex Collado and Samuel Umtiti have also left the club on a permanent basis.
Xavi says Barcelona's win against Real Madrid is 'secondary' at this stage
Xavi Hernandez is not getting carried away by Barcelona's 3-0 pre-season win against Real Madrid at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Ousmane Dembele, Fermin Lopez Martin and Ferran Torres were on target for the Spanish coach's team. Real Madrid managed 29 shots to Barca's 12 but failed to Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.
After the game, Xavi clarified that the result is secondary considering it is still pre-season. He said, via Forbes:
"We did many things well, but we also made many mistakes that we have to correct. Obviously the result is spectacular, but at this stage of the season it is secondary. The important thing now is to improve."
Barca enjoy a good record in competitive El Clasicos, winning five of the last seven games against Real Madrid across competitions. They will be looking to better that record in the upcoming season.
For now, their focus will be on the friendly against AC Milan on 2 August at the Allegiant Stadium in Nevada.