Published 23:05 IST, July 1st 2020
Barcelona have spent £1 BILLION on 32 transfers since 2014 leading to a financial crisis
FC Barcelona have spent a staggering £1 billion on incoming transfers since 2013/14 without lots of success pushing the Blaugrana into a financial crisis.
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Barcelona announced the signing of Miralem Pjanic from Juventus in a swap deal for promising midfielder Arthur on Monday. The transfer has been a much-debated topic in football circles, with many criticizing how the Barcelona board treated Arthur and how he was forced out of the club. The transfer was a desperate attempt by the Blaugrana hierarchy to balance their books as they have further slipped into financial crisis during the coronavirus lockdown. The Arthur-Pjanic swap also highlighted how the defending LaLiga champions had shifted from the ideals set by club legends Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola in the past six seasons.
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Barcelona transfer news: How the Barcelona board have been underwhelming in the transfer market since 2015-16
Barcelona splashed out £150 million (€166.29 million) on Luis Suarez, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ivan Rakitic in the summer of 2014 and all four have established themselves as key players so far in the Blaugrana set-up. The club lifted the treble under Luis Enrique in 2015 but since then, have failed to reach similar heights in the next five seasons. Having strengthened the core of the side in 2014, the Barcelona board opted to sign squad players in Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan, both who flopped massively at the club.
Vidal was subsequently shipped off to Sevilla, while Arda Turan was loaned out with a prospect of a future transfer. Turan's contract expired in June 2020 and the Turkish international is a free agent now.
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The 2016-17 summer saw Barcelona make a number of underwhelming signings with Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne, Jasper Cillessen and Denis Suarez joining the club. Among the above names, only Samuel Umtiti is still at the club and does not regularly feature in the starting line-up. While the rest flopped at Camp Nou, they did well after moving on from Barcelona.
Andre Gomes and Lucas Digne are amongst the key players at Premier League outfit Everton, while Denis Suarez, Jasper Cillessen and Paco Alcacer have realised their potential in LaLiga with moves to Celta Vigo, Valencia and Villarreal respectively.
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Barcelona transfer news: Barcelona board continue spending spree to find Neymar replacement
The Blaugrana board's plans for the 2017-18 season were disrupted when Paris Saint-Germain triggered Neymar's €222 million release clause. In a desperate bid to find his replacement, the Blaugrana shelled out a combined €375 million across the campaign, signing Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Paulinho, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu, Yerry Mina and Marlon. The highly coveted capture of Coutinho for £142 million (€157.39 million) was nothing short of a disaster, with the former Liverpool man on loan at Bayern Munich and likely to be sold this summer.
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Ousmane Dembele, who was signed for £105 million (€116.39 million), has been bogged down by a series of injuries and has hardly featured much for the Blaugrana. Nelson Semedo has been a success and has established himself as a rotational right-back along with Sergio Roberto, while Gerard Deulofeu, Yerry Mina, Paulinho and Marlon were shipped off after a rather disappointing stint at the club.
Barcelona transfer news: Another £100 million signing, another flop
The 20128-19 season saw Barcelona make some astute purchases with Malcom, Clement Lenglet, Arthur, Arturo Vidal and Jean-Clair Todibo all making a move to Camp Nou. The former Bordeaux winger did not receive much game-time before being shipped off to Zenit, while Jean-Clair Todibo is out on loan with Barcelona eyeing him as a future regular. Arturo Vidal has been a rotational option in midfield, while Lenglet and Arthur established themselves as first-team regulars. However, Arthur has now been shipped off to Juventus in return for a 30-year-old Miralem Pjanic.
The 2019-20 season saw the LaLiga champions purchase Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie De Jong, Neto, Martin Braithwaite, Junior Firpo, Emerson and Marc Cucurella. Griezmann, signed for €120 million from rivals Atletico Madrid, has failed to replicate his form at Camp Nou, while the same case could be made for De Jong, who joined from Ajax for €75 million. Emerson, Neto and Firpo have all struggled to get game-time, with Firpo currently on loan at Real Betis. Cucurella has been sold, bought and sold again in quick succession, while Brathwaite has been underwhelming as Dembele's injury replacement.
Barcelona have spent more than £1 billion (€1.1 billion) in the past six seasons, with only a handful of those transfers being able to stake a regular place in the side. Despite spending close to £508 million (€563 million( on finding the third leg for the Messi-Suarez combination, the club have quite sensationally failed to fill the void of Neymar who left three seasons ago. The Blaugrana's problems are set to worsen with the core of the side now entering the final stage of their careers, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerrard Pique, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Jordi Alba and now Pjanic all above the age of 30.
Not only does the Barcelona board need to replace their world-class quality, but have to do it economically considering the current financial crisis. Furthermore, arch-rivals Real Madrid have made some astute purchases since splurging on Gareth Bale and are currently heading the Barcelona vs Real Madrid LaLiga title race. The Blaugrana board will have to get their transfer right this summer, something they've failed to do in the past six seasons or are in danger of falling further behind the Los Blancos.
(Image Credit: fcbarcelona.com)
23:05 IST, July 1st 2020