How Mateu Alemany changed the rules of the game

The Director Of Football of the Blaugranas has changed the “rule” in some variable concepts of the contracts. According to Relevo, Araújo, Koundé, Memphis and Bellerin are the first affected by the ‘Alemany Rules’.

When Alemany arrived at Barça, he had a look at the contract of the first team players, and was shocked. He inherited an enormous wage bill and he was restricted by the contracts previously signed by Bartomeu’s board of directors.

Besides the fixed fees, bonuses of participation were an additional source of income for players. Injuries, however, were not taken in account in the minimum threshold of participation bonuses. Should a player have played the first game but missed the next nine due to injuries, his participate record remained 100%.

The most flagrant cases of this were those of Dembélé, Umtiti and Coutinho. They suffered serious injuries and missed a majority of the season. However, when they were available, they did play — and this allowed them to be eligible to receive the bonuses as they met the minimim threshold.

With Alemany, the new contracts have changed. From now, injuries impact the participation score. For example, if a player now plays one game but missed on injury the next nine, his participation score will be recorded as of 10%.

So, what does it bring? It likely will save Barça money by the end of the season. Players that will have been injured will now have a much harder time meeting the minimum % of participation scores in order to be eligible for bonuses. Clause after clause, Mateu Alemany is redesigning a more sustainable Barça when it comes to salary. And still, a lot of work is still awaiting him.