After a tough football season 2007-2008, finishing in the third place of “La Liga”, losing to the Manchester United at the UEFA Champions League semifinals and a after a 4-1 drubbing by their arch-rivals Real Madrid, big changes have been announced at the Barcelona FC.
Just a day after the Real Madrid defeat, on May 8 the president of Barcelona Joan Laporta announced the first change: the Dutch Frank Rijkaard, head coach of the club since 2003, would be dismissed a year before ending his contract, however, Laporta praised Rijkaard for his achievements with the team and said that former Bara player and Barcelona B coach Josep Guardiola would be taking his place.
While Rijkaard was in charge, the club won the UEFA Champions League title in the 2005-06 season, the La Liga Championship in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons and the Supercopa de Espaa in 2005 and 2006.
Besides Rijkaard dismiss, there will be many changes in the current team squad. Among the speculations that have wonder around since the beginnings of May, it has been mentioned that the Barcelona football team is going to be revamped. The list of players that would be leaving the club is headed for the Brazilian Ronaldinho, who was in the sight of the AC Milan though the general manager Ariedo Braido has said recently that they would rather the striker Samuel Eto’s, who’s also set to leave Bara as well as the Portuguese-Brazilian Deco.
The French Lilian Thuram and the Brazilian Edmilson would also finish their days with the team because their contracts end this season and they’re not going to be renewed. Brazilian Sylvinho’s contract also ends next June 30, but it’s not clear yet if he will sing again with the club. The Spaniards Santiago Ezquerro and Oleguer Presas and the Icelander Eidur Gudjohsen are also on the list of players that could leave the team.
As well, Barcelona intends to transfer the Mexican Rafael Marquez, who didn’t play much in the season and could be part of the Atletico Madrid; the Italian Gianluca Zambrota could be transferred to Milan and the Frenchman Thierry Henry could be transferred too, though his contract with Barcelona is for three more years and the team could be forced to keep him in the squad.
On the other hand, among the names that have been mentioned to enter the team, coach Gladiola’s first signing was the Malian Seydou Keita, who signed a four years contract with the club on Monday May 26. Barcelona paid 14 million buy-out clause to Sevilla FC for Keita.
The second confirmed signing occurred last Tuesday May 27 with Gerard Piqu, Manchester United’s center back, who expressed being very pleased to be back at Bara as it was his boy-hood club since 1997 until 2004. Piqu signed a four years contract with a buy-out clause of 50 million. That same day the club made Villareal a first offer to buy the Uruguayan Martn Cceres but it was considered not acceptable and was rejected, though Villareal is willing to negotiate, according to the president of the team Fernando Roig. The Arsenal player Byelorussian Alexander Hleb was also contacted by Barcelona and an offer was made, but Hleb is considering his options as this is not the only offer he has received for the next football season.
Amongst other players that may be in the Catalonian team’s sight, although they haven’t been confirmed yet, there are Mallorca’s striker Dani Giza, who left Barcelona in 2003 and has expressed recently that he’s eager to return, Daniel Alves from Sevilla and Valencia’s left-handed midfielder Daniel Silva. As well Guardiola may be interested in the Brazilian striker Juan of the AS Roma, according to the Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport.