Laporta must get tough with Barcelona’s hangers-on

It couldn’t happen again could it?!

Another summer of transfer ‘fun,’ and one where FC Barcelona just can’t seem to shift their dead wood.

The greatest club in the world being weighed down by the demands of the also-rans that still find themselves in situ. Another remnant or two from the Josep Maria Bartomeu era.

However, Joan Laporta has had long enough now to deal with those stragglers. The players that haven’t had a look in for a good six months at the very least.

In some cases it’s been a couple of seasons, but still the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Miralem Pjanic and Martin Braithwaite et al are content just to sit there and soak up the sunshine.

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Whilst earning a pretty penny for doing so too. Nice life if you can get it.

I suppose that in certain respects you can’t blame the players. If your boss came and trebled or quadrupled your money don’t tell me that you wouldn’t take it, because we all would.

Why shouldn’t they see out a contract that they didn’t even ask for - it was given to them.

In that sense they have done and are doing nothing wrong, it’s just morally repugnant.

Forget the fact that the club are still struggling too, that shouldn’t form part of the argument.

No. What needs to be answered is why, for the sake of a few thousand euros per week - and we can surely assume that none of the players are short of a bob or two - each one would prefer to sit on the subs bench week in and week out rather than playing regular football.

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It’s not even as if there’ll be the opportunity to stake a claim again. For most, they’re not in Xavi’s plans, and Umtiti hasn’t been in anyone’s plans for at least two years.

Where’s the drive and ambition?

Perhaps the Frenchman knows that he’ll have an incredible fall from grace if he leaves the Camp Nou. At least by holding tight, he can hang on to the last remaining scintilla of prestige for himself.

Joan Laporta has done a reasonable job of standing up and being counted since the start of this presidency, but now he has to get tough again. Very tough as it happens.

No sob stories or second chances.

If Barcelona truly want to move forward and bridge the gap that now exists between themselves and Real Madrid, then contracts have to be cancelled if that’s the only way to move these bloodsucking leeches on.