Deco talks Yamal, Flick, Joan Garcia and more at Barcelona’s Ordinary General Assembly | OneFootball

Barcelona have already unveiled some exciting partnerships and ventures during the club’s Ordinary General Assembly today.

While all eyes were on Joan Laporta and the economic side of things, sporting director Deco also took to the floor, explaining the thought process that went behind some of the summer signings as well as player renewals.

Deco notably talked about Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez’s renewals, while also explaining Joan Garcia and Marcus Rashford’s move to Barcelona.

What Deco said at the Ordinary General Assembly

First and foremost, Deco talked about renewals of Yamal and Fermin, two homegrown stars who have become key components in the first team.

“We renewed with Lamine Yamal, and this is a step worth celebrating, not only because he is a great player, but because he could become one of the global icons of football in the future,” he said (h/t Barcelona official website).

Deco went on to talk about other key renewals, including Fermin, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi and others. He even talked about the renewal of coach Hansi Flick’s contract.

“We renewed for Fermín, a young player who represents the future, and for Pedri, who was in the last year of his contract, and for Gavi, who, despite suffering from injury, remains one of the pillars of the future, as well as Ronald Araújo, Pau Cubarsí, and Gerard Martín,” he said.

“We have decided to renew the contract of coach Flick for an additional year, as well as for his technical staff, to provide the stability and structure that we need,” he added.

Apart from renewing the contracts of key players, Barcelona were also able to bring in three notable figures in Marcus Rashford, Joan Garcia and Roony Bardghji.

Talking about Rashford, Deco explained, “It was clear that we need Marcus Rashford, because he gives us attacking options on the left, in depth, or even on the right, so we don’t rely entirely on Lamine and Raphinha.”

Marcus Rashford was a smart signing for Barcelona. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Talking about Garcia, the Barcelona sporting director admitted that the club required a new goalkeeper to replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the years to come.

“In the goalkeeping position, Ter Stegen is a world-class reference, but his injury forced us to move quickly to sign Joan Garcia, whom we’ve been following for some time and who showed a strong desire to join.

“We paid the release clause in an organised manner, and we’re happy with his arrival,” he said.

Deco heaped praise on Bardghji as well, stating, “He is a right winger with high technical abilities. We have similar talents in La Masia, but he excels with an extra step, and he was exactly what we needed.

“It cannot be said that we were late in the transfer market; we are very satisfied with what we have achieved.“

However, the biggest blow for Barcelona in the summer was the unexpected departure of Inigo Martinez, who joined Al Nassr on a free transfer.

“We didn’t expect his departure; rather, we renewed his contract for an additional season. We agreed that if a special opportunity arose for him at this stage of his career, we would allow him to leave.

“We were surprised, but our word holds value, because Barcelona is bigger than just a contract paper,” he said.

Deco went on to talk about Barcelona’s summer strategy, which revolved around keeping hold of core players.

“We kept the core players because the goal wasn’t to make numerous signings, but to hold on to what’s good in our squad. Our mission was to preserve the team’s essence, and there’s always room for improvement. The work didn’t start in the summer; it began long before that,” he said.

On the success of La Masia, the Portuguese added, “La Masia is not a coincidence, but rather organised daily work.

Deco fully believes in La Masia. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“We must know how to guide and support the players on this path. We are in a tough world, and making your first appearance as Tony Fernandes did is a unique experience. We must remain humble and stay realistic.“

Finally, Deco gave out a closing statement, explaining how the club is planning to maintain the consistency of La Masia and continue believing in young players.

“The summary of the sports project is: competing at the highest level, maintaining Barcelona’s style, believing in La Masia, and smartly controlling the young players’ market,” he concluded.