Everything ready for Messi's photograph
These last two days have produced two determining factors for Lionel Messi to pick up the phone and name a day and time to have the hugely anticipated photograph with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu. It's true that nearly everyone now assumes that Messi has renewed his contract with the club, but this photo has become as, if not more important than the signature. The renewal of captain Andres Iniesta, for life, and Argentina's qualification for the World Cup are the two last steps which needed to be taken for Messi to decide to have 'the photo'. That's from sources on both sides which are just as desperate as Barça supporters to see their idol sign his new Camp Nou deal. Therefore, if the coming days don't throw up anything unexpected, everything suggests that before November we will see Bartomeu and Messi shaking hands and bringing an end to this unnecessary soap opera.
LOOKING FOR A ‘sanllehí’
Maybe we will never know for certain why the man that has closed the most deals for Barça in recent years is leaving the club. Maybe there's a secret pact and it will forever remain a mystery if he's been fired or if his departure is his own decision. What is certain is that Raül Sanllehí will be missed. There's no one in Europe with his contacts. He knows like no one else the deal-makers at every club and the representatives of every player. If the club think that level of contact can be built up in four days, they're mistaken. If they believe that between the CEO, Oscar Grau, and the new general manager, Pep Segura, they can replace Sanllehi, it could be a mistake which they will pay for sooner or later.
guillermo amor's TOUGH JOB
The former FC Barcelona player and later an employee at the club's academy, Guillermo Amor, left Barça a few years through the back door. Bartomeu got rid of him and singled him out as one of the people responsible for the club's infamous FIFA ban which prevented them from signing players during two transfer windows. Now, not only has he returned to the club's academy, but he's been named the club's new director of institutional and sporting relations. He will, therefore, have the complicated job of being the go-between between the dressing room and the board. We will see how he moves in this new and difficult job. The advantage is that he's a good person and as well as being an excellent football player he was always an example inside and outside the dressing room. So we wish him all the luck in the world. He will need it because he know better than anyone that it's almost impossible for the players to have confidence in a person and has been chosen by the board.
