Joan Laporta claimed in February of this year, "If we meet the budget, the darkest era in FC Barcelona's history will be over." Just over two months ago, he revealed that the "financial transition", from the edge of bankruptcy to economic stability, was "getting closer and closer".
Alluding to the mess he inherited from his disgraced predecessor, Josep Maria Bartomeu, Laporta said, "The culers (Barca fans) have been patient and we are working to turn the situation around from the one we found when we came to the presidency (in March 2021). The balance sheet this season will be positive and I hope soon we can be '1:1' (the Liga regulation that allows a member club to invest as much money in transfers as it generates in revenue).
"I am an optimist and a realist, and I know what I am talking about. We have grown in terms of income and we have reduced expenses, and we are in a situation in which we are about to resolve the Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues from last season."
Many Barca fans are beginning to wonder, though, if Laporta really does know what he's talking about, because just nine days before the close of the transfer window, the club is still not in a position to register star summer-signing Dani Olmo.
Consequently, Barca are once again scrambling around at the tail end of August, trying to either sell players or remove high-earners from the wage bill just to make ends meet. At the time of writing, Ilkay Gundogan - who only arrived in Catalunya last summer and was one of the Blaugrana's best players last season - is being pushed out the door, which only begs the question: Are Barcelona really making any progress under Laporta - or simply back to square one?