Focus on pitch and in stands for Barcelona derby

TIL Desk Sports/ The attention of fans in the Camp Nou stadium here is likely to be focused on two different areas when Barcelona entertain city rivals Espanyol on Saturday — on the pitch and also in the directors’ box.

Saturday is likely to see the debut of Barcelona’s record signing Ousmane Dembele, while the much-questioned arrival Paulinho is also likely to make his first appearance on home turf in the game.

However, no matter how much interest Dembele and Paulinho may provoke, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu is likely to have almost as many camera lenses focused on him as the players.

It was a difficult summer for Bartomeu and the club’s Sporting Director Robert Fernandez as they struggled to bring in the signings the club so clearly needed, while at the same time seeing what effects Neymar left in joining Paris Saint Germain.

The club promised two signings in the last week of the transfer window and none arrived and Bartomeu was booed by fans at Dembele’s presentation in the Camp Nou stadium.