Betrayal! Deco gives Flick the green light to finalize the signing he denied to Xavi Hernández

Players, fans, and FC Barcelona's board agree that Flick's arrival on Camp Nou bench has been a true blessing. His innovative training methods, his winning character, and his overwhelming personality have gone down perfectly in the Barça locker room, so much so that in his first season he achieved the domestic treble. However, even though the German is already one of the great idols of the Catalan team, the figure of his predecessor, Xavi Hernández, is still remembered very fondly.

As time has gone by, it has been shown that the period of Xavi Hernández in charge of FC Barcelona was much more prolific than people remember. He won a league and a Spanish Super Cup with truly limited resources. As if that were not enough, he firmly backed La Masia, bringing through Lamine, Cubarsí, and Fermín, three players who right now are indispensable.

It is true that his time ended abruptly and that he received a lot of criticism in his final months, but the reality is that he did not have it easy at all. From day one, Xavi Hernández had to pull a Barça that was suffocated by Financial Fair Play and very limited when it came to going into the market. In fact, even though Xavi asked for signings such as Kimmich or Bernardo Silva on numerous occasions, none of them ended up arriving.

Shocking! Deco gives Flick the OK to close the signing that he denied Xavi Hernández

Now, with Flick on the bench, FC Barcelona's financial situation has improved notably in the last season. Laporta's work, together with the major deals that Deco has closed, has allowed the Catalan club to clean up its accounts. Not only that, because it seems that the signing that was denied to Xavi Hernández at the time could become a reality next summer.

We are talking about Bernardo Silva, current Manchester City footballer and long-standing desire of FC Barcelona. The Portuguese attacking midfielder fits wonderfully with the DNA of the Catalan club, and his contractual situation suggests that his landing at Camp Nou, at last, can become a reality. Bernardo's contract with City ends this very summer and Deco has already given the green light for his arrival if Flick so wishes.

For the moment there are no negotiations, but the mere fact that Deco is considering bringing in Bernardo Silva shows many things. On the one hand, it shows that Barça can go into the transfer market with more guarantees than in the past. Meanwhile, on the other hand, it is clear that Flick's opinion is much more valued than Xavi Hernández's at the time.