He was brought in as a PR stunt by Bartomeu to cover his shortfalls and deflect blame at that moment in time. Of all the players of the Pep era to bring back, Abidal was one of the least suited for that role.
At the same time, who would come in to replace Abidal and accept to be apart of this misery for 7 months and then get fired once the new board comes in..
This is just insane, afaik sporting director salaries are not that high. We are finished as a club. Our rebuild is delayed too due to Barto staying. I'm expecting at least 4 years of misery for this club, with amigos getting phased out, Barto leaving, and new coach integrating the youth. We won't be able to purchase any star talents soon either. All those Neymar rumors were just smoke screen to make Messi and his pals happy.