Just a couple of days after securing his re-election as FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta made good on one of his campaign promises by announcing on Tuesday that coach Hansi Flick is set to extend his contract with the Catalan club, committing his future with the club until 2028.
Speaking in an interview with RAC1, Laporta said, "We all intend to renew his contract. It expires in 2027 and we always want him to have another year left on his contract. Hansi is also in favour. We're going to announce his renewal as soon as possible because we believe it's the best course of action."
Laporta leaned heavily on the German's success to counter criticism from his rival VÃctor Font, in the recently concluded presidential elections. He built his campaign upon ensuring continuity with Flick, whom he described as a manager capable of extracting elite performance without heavy spending.
"Hansi has great respect for Barca's authentic style and brings the versatility of a highly demanding professional. He has made the team work with the same players who weren't working together before."
That last comment has been widely interpreted as the latest veiled dig at Xavi Hernandez who aligned himself with Laporta's election rival, VÃctor Font.
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The 'Flick Factor': A Project Built On La Masia
Laporta leaned heavily on Flick's success in his campaign against Font, framing the German as a manager capable of extracting elite performance without heavy spending. In doing so, he positioned Flick as a solution to Barcelona's financial constraints.
A key component of that has been Flick's trust in youth and the famous La Masia academy. His willingness to integrate players like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsà into high-pressure fixtures aligns perfectly with Laporta's long-standing commitment to La Masia.
In a club still navigating complex financial constraints, this approach is not just philosophical, it is also strategic.
What's encouraging for the club is that the results back this process. Flick sealed the domestic treble with the club in his debut season, winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa trophies in 2024-25.
This season, his team continue to occupy top spot in La Liga, where they have a four-point cushion over rivals Real Madrid. Barcelona's latest 5-2 victory at home against Sevilla also made it 14 consecutive victories at the Camp Nou for Flick, just one short of the record set by Pep Guardiola (15) for most consecutive wins at home.
He has also transformed the team tactically, reshaping Barcelona into a more aggressive, transition-heavy side, deploying a high-pressing 4-2-3-1 system that marks a departure from the club's traditional positional play roots.
Meanwhile, Laporta also mentioned that he hopes to extend the contract of Deco as well, praising the sporting director's work as well as his understanding with Flick.
"I'd like Deco to stay on. He does an extraordinary job and forms a very good partnership with Flick. They get on very well both personally and professionally, and that's not easy because they both know a lot about football," said the president.
"I hope Deco agrees to stay on. I think he will. Deco is more reserved and introverted. He struggles a lot with his job, but he enjoys it and must continue. We're very happy with both of them and they're going to bring us success."
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