Barcelona has shown that, under Deco's direction, resource management can translate into tangible results. With strict “financial fair play” in play, the club was faced with the task of replacing Lewandowski, Torres and Rashford without spending on the safe, and of improving the possession style with Rodri as a key piece. Three months later, the sporting director can claim to have made the smartest signings of the club's recent era.
Among the additions, Gordon, Gabriel Jesus and Adeyemi stand out. They are not figures of the stature of the greats of the league, but they offer creative and versatile solutions. Barça averages more than four goals per game, which reflects a choral, unpredictable and voracious attack. The Englishman has quickly adapted the style demanded by Flick, providing speed to break lines, overflowing to unbalance and finishing with both legs. For his part, Gabriel Jesus, who had lost prominence at Arsenal, has smiled again at the Camp Nou and is establishing himself as a reliable alternative to Raphinha.
Deco's merit is not limited to the names it has brought. He has built a deep squad, with arguments and replacements in each position, which allows Flick to rotate, feed the competition and dose the starters throughout a long season. The result is a team that wins with overwhelming superiority and metronomic reliability. With this insatiable Barcelona, any stumble by Madrid threatens to open a gap that is difficult to recover.
As for the future, the club is preparing to continue competing in all competitions. Deco has won the summer, but now it is the team's turn to demonstrate its dominance in the league, the Champions League and the national cups. The squad, reinforced and balanced, seems ready to conquer everything it sets out to do.