Koeman and Barça will do whatever it takes to keep Messi at the club

Koeman and Barça will do whatever it takes to keep Messi at the club

L. Miguelsanz

Subdirector de SPORT

| sport

The Dutch coach feels that the club must pull out all the stops to retain their star player

Perhaps because he comes from another culture, or perhaps because he has seen everything in the world of football, the freshness Koeman brings every time he speaks about the Messi situation is commendable. And it is to be welcomed. The Dutch coach carried the weight of Barça's problems on his shoulders last season, and is navigating Barça's current problems with remarkable ease.

Barça find themselves in a complicated financial situation in which the coach will need to balance the books when shaping his squad for next season. And Koeman is assuming this challenge with a surprising optimism. He feels that, while the club is currently faced with a difficult situation, it is and always will be FC Barcelona, and that the club's primary concern should be to tie down the world's best player to a new contract.

The club's leadership will do whatever it takes to get Messi to renew and play a leading role in the new sporting project, in which La Masia will regain the prominence that it enjoyed in the past. Out of conviction, but above all, out of necessity. Based on Koeman's words, it is clear that the club will pull out all the stops to keep the Argentina star at the club, and that some players may need to leave in order to do this.

The Dutch coach and the club's sporting directors are prepared to take tough decisions that would see important, internationally-renowned players leave the club. It's the only possible option to secure Messi's renewal, and the club knows this.

Koeman will begin pre-season in the knowledge that Barça wants Messi to stay and that Messi wants to sign a new contract. What remains to be seen, however, is when and under what circumstances Leo will pen a new deal, and which players will need to leave the club in order to balance the books.

All signings are now on hold until Messi signs his new deal, although both parties are convinced that a positive solution will be reached. After that, there will be many outgoings and a couple of necessary incomings. Barça is entering a new phase, and it is becoming increasingly clear that Koeman was the ideal appointment to steer this ship. For his character and his bravery. Koeman puts the club first as a coach, and it remains to be seen if he is capable of transmitting this on the pitch.

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