We’ve already passed that stage’ – Deco compares the market approach of Barcelona with Manchester City | OneFootball

Because of their financial fair play problems, FC Barcelona have had to face a lot of difficulties when undertaking their desired operations in the market.

Their return to the 1:1 rule at the start of this year is expected to make things significantly easier for them in the next summer transfer window. However, even this change is not going to allow the Blaugranes to compete with the biggest clubs in Europe in the transfer market.

As Mundo Deportivo has noted, this aspect was admitted by Deco himself, as he appeared in a recent interview. Still, the Portuguese official also expressed his satisfaction with how Barcelona have conducted their business over the years:

“There are countries where there is more or less financial control, or teams that can… City spent over 200 million in January. We can’t afford that at the moment. But we also don’t need to sign four or five players right now.”

“Maybe City will need a squad overhaul in the coming years. We’ve already passed that stage. We made signings three years ago, the players who arrived are delivering results, and young talents who were very young back then—like Pedri, Gavi, and Ronald (Araujo)—are now key players. We’re happy because we have fewer concerns about signings than we did before.”

Another subject that Deco touched upon in this interview was the future of Ronald Araujo, which remains a topic of speculation despite his recent contract renewal:

“You can’t have a player who isn’t happy. It ends up becoming a problem for the team. There are moments when you might not play, and that’s hard to manage. We’ve talked to him about it, and he was happy. If in the future something needs to change, he has the door open to tell us.”

“But I don’t think that’s what he wants—otherwise, he wouldn’t have renewed. I believe he will stay for many years.”

The Portuguese official also played down the chances of Barcelona winning the UEFA Champions League, despite the team’s highly encouraging performances up to now:

“I don’t think so. To be considered a favorite, you have to reach the quarterfinals and semifinals consistently for several years, and that hasn’t been the case. This season, we need to take a step forward and improve. No matter how much excitement there is or how well we are playing, Barça is not the favorite.”

These comments about the UCL might come as defeatist, but the Barcelona Sporting Director makes a good point. Still, the fans have all the reasons to hope that their team will be able to make it far into the competition and might actually get their hands on the trophy at the end of the season.