Perhaps what makes Aston Villa’s move for Mateu Alemany so impressive is that there’s a widespread consensus in Barcelona on just how much the club will miss him.
There’s been no bitterness, no efforts to reclassify his time there as a failure, just an acceptance that his exit will be a big loss and that it’s probably Barca’s own fault that he’s leaving the club.
The financial issues the club are stuck in have made Alemany’s job more difficult, and that’s added to interference from above and the influence of agents.
Catalan newspaper Sport call the sporting director’s move to Aston Villa a ‘major setback’ for the Blaugrana. The Premier League club are said to have made a big financial offer to Alemany, which Barca can’t match. On top of that he’s been offered ‘freedom’ and backing to build the club’s squad for the future.
Xavi Hernandez has gone public with his admiration for his compatriot, with Sport quoting him as saying: “I have been very comfortable with him, he has been instrumental in the restructuring of the club. It has been a pleasure meeting Mateu. It is a significant loss, but it is a personal decision that must be accepted. I wish him the best, he will still work with us until the summer.”
