Deco was unhappy with Barcelona sporting director’s decision to stay at the club in May – report

A huge piece of news has sent those around Barcelona into a frenzy today, after the club announced Deco will take over as sporting director, and Mateu Alemany will subsequently leave his role in September.

This is somewhat of a repeat of the saga that took place earlier in the summer, when Alemany was out the door and about to join Aston Villa before changing his mind and continuing at Barcelona.

Deco, who played for Barcelona between 2004 and 2008, was already poised to fill Alemany’s boots after

Though Alemany’s decision to stay was well-received by those at the club, it did not necessarily sit too well with Deco and his entourage as reported by the Athletic in a recent report.

Deco was promised full control

The outlet state that although today’s announcement was not as shocking as it was back in May, the way Alemany’s exit was announced was still surprising.

Senior figures from the club, including Xavi, seemingly did not know it was happening.

It seems as though Deco’s arrival indicates a new sporting and organisational structure within the club, who seek to refresh their identity and get out of their massive financial troubles.

In early May, Laporta then assured Deco that he would assume a prominent role within Barcelona’s sports direction as Alemany looked set to leave.

Laporta also supposedly urged Deco to cease his agent activities, a profession he was engaged in at that time, particularly as Raphinha’s agent during the previous summer, orchestrating his move to Barca over competing interest from Chelsea.

Deco agreed to Laporta’s request and took a step back from his agency, which officially declared its closure in June.

While Laporta was amenable to accepting Alemany’s proposal to stay at the club, Deco had firmly set his sights on becoming the primary driving force behind Barcelona’s recruitment efforts.

Throughout the summer, he had reportedly been working behind the scenes and sharing detailed plans about his vision for the club, as he was reportedly promised full control of operations.

It remains to be seen how Deco implements his vision, and how Alemany sees out the rest of this transfer window.