“At least 15% less”, “at least 15% less”. It is the mantra of Barcelona with its sections: next year, you have to spend less, “at least 15% less”. And that in handball is a lot. The most successful Barça in recent times, the one that has won two consecutive Champions League, faces another Final Four in Cologne this weekend under the threat of cuts from Joan Laporta's Board of Directors.
With Magdeburg as their rival in the semifinals (Saturday, 3:15 p.m., DAZN) and PSG and Kielce in the other part of the draw, from within the team they propose another success, the third consecutive title, as the only antidote to the sales in the section. “If we win, we will have to keep the project,” they say, although they admit that in the coming years it will be difficult to continue fighting against the best teams in Europe..
Because? Because the loss of key players has already begun and it seems that it will go further. As soon as the Final Four is over, the club will see its second reference fly, the French pivot Ludovic Fàbregas, a man who was supposed to be a Barça player forever. From a Catalan family, born and raised in Banyuls-sur-Mer, 10 kilometers from the border, the Frenchman has raised a family in Barcelona, but this summer he will go to Veszprem after failing to reach a renewal agreement. A blow to the team. which are actually two.
And it is that to replace him, the coach, Carlos Ortega, had requested the signing of Artsen Karalek and those responsible for the section had reached an agreement with him and his club, Kielce, but the Board of Directors knocked him down at the last minute. The reason: “At least 15% less” budget. And, for this reason, to fill the void left by Fàbregas next year, two young Spaniards will arrive, Javi Rodríguez and Jaime Gallego, from Logroño and Torrelavega, which will cost much less.
The future of Pérez de Vargas
In general figures, the objective is to reduce the budget to just over seven million euros and thus position itself in a second continental line. Far above would be PSG and Kiel, which exceed 12 million, something above would be other German and French teams and some more Central European teams like Veszprém, but those responsible for Barcelona consider that even so it will be possible to compete. With income from the section that barely exceeds 1.5 million, the entity's accounts do not allow for more. The idea is that the team is based on its two leaders, the winger Dika Mem and the goalkeeper Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, and an excellent defense, but that is also in danger.
According to 'Relevo' and EL MUNDO has been able to confirm, Pérez de Vargas has an offer from Kiel and his continuity is not certain. The German club wants the Spanish goalkeeper as a substitute for Niklas Landin -who returns to his native Denmark, to Aalborg- and he has plenty of wallet to convince him. Pérez de Vargas has also given some prominence to his substitute, Emil Nielsen, and it could be time for him to leave.
If that finally takes place, the decommissioning will be complete.. With other protagonists, such as the center-back Luka Cindric, with the club's doors open for months, a step back would be inevitable. Due to the latest movements, such as the signing of center-back Pol Valera from Granollers, Barcelona can try to stay in the European elite thanks to Spanish talent, the best players from the rest of the teams in the Asobal League, but it remains to be seen if that is enough. .
For the moment, the only solution seems to continue winning the Champions League and thus convince Joan Laporta's Board of Directors that it is worth the effort. After all, in all of history, only one team has celebrated three consecutive European titles and it was Barça itself, in that triumphant streak of the Dream Team from 1996 to 2000.. History should have value when doing numbers. Although for the moment, before the Final Four this weekend, these are cold and continue to set an objective: “At least 15% less.”