Barcelona recruitment department playing ‘good cop, bad cop

When Barcelona President Joan Laporta was elected, he was accused of having a loose plan of action for the club, with various important positions still to be decided. Now, nearly two years on, he appears to have a settled team working.

Of course the head of that project is now Xavi Hernandez, even if Laporta did not turn to him until November of 2021. Director of Football Mateu Alemany was part of Laporta’s campaign team, but Sporting Director Jordi Cruyff joined at a later date.

According to Relevo, the pair heading up the recruitment department form a ‘good cop, bad cop’ duo. Alemany is the latter of the two, being a tough negotiator and a hard nut to crack for agents and other clubs. Not suffering fools, he is described as ‘an optimiser of resources’, almost exclusively dedicated to the financial side of things.

Once a player has been identified, Alemany will work out how to recruit them at the lowest possible price within their budget, or if that is not possible, move on to the next option.

Meanwhile Cruyff lends a much kinder face to the recruitment effort at Camp Nou, speaking with players, maintaining the atmosphere and identifying the right players. He speaks often with Xavi Hernandez about things to correct on the pitch and the two of them discuss potential recruits on a conceptual level.

So far it has to be said the approach is functioning for the most part. Barcelona are eight points clear at the top of the table, with Robert Lewandowski, Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde all playing crucial roles in the side. Equally the Champions League is the major blot on the Barcelona copybook this season, while the jury is still out on the signings of Raphinha and Ferran Torres.