As the reigning La Liga champions endure another rocky patch of form, we take a look at the collection of players right at the very of top of the Barcelona record signings list, to see just how poorly managed they have been in recent years.
Barcelona are already confirmed to have one marquee arrival after their winter break, with highly sought after Brazilian Vitor Roque set to touch down in Catalonia after agreeing a move back in July.
The 18-year-old’s arrival is perhaps not quite the level of saving grace Blaugrana fans are in need of right now. However, there is no denying his potential for the future, which is made all the more necessary with Robert Lewandowski’s powers waining fast as he nears the twilight of his career.
In what has so far been a topsy-turvy season for Barcelona, their title defence continues to hit frustrating stumbling blocks as Real Madrid and fellow Catalonians Girona stride further ahead.
For now, a frustrated Xavi – who reportedly gave a fiery, X-rated half-time team talk during their laboured 3-2 win over Almeria this week – must attempt to galvanise his side, who he demanded “run like animals” to try and reach the level of the serial-winning 2010 side, of which he was a part.
The club’s bockety form is indicative of an unruly string of crooked and corrupt presidents, who have forced current head honcho Joan Laporta to return to the hot seat in order to steady the ship, enacting what he calls ‘economic levers‘ to level the books.
As Laporta relinquishes merchandising and broadcasting control to secure the future of the club, we take a look back at some of the Barcelona record signings who, through no fault of their own, may have contributed to the burdensome economic strain that continues to weigh heavy.
Barcelona Record Signings
Barcelona’s top three record signings all set the club back well over €100 million, with only one of those lasting more than two seasons.
Luckily for the top two, recently retired Eden Hazard took top spot when we listed our worst transfers of all time. However, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho’s value for money, or rather, quite the opposite, can not be underestimated.
Taking Griezmann’s case first of all, some may argue that his transfer to Barcelona wasn’t entirely bad, and those of that opinion certainly have a case given he registered 52 goals involvements in little over 100 games.
Unfortunately for him, €120 million is the kind of fee that demands at least 20 goals a season, if not more. The Frenchman was something of a passion project by then-president Josep Bartomeu, who has since gone down as one of sport’s most infamous criminal sports figures having grossly mismanaged the club’s finances, and had his offices raided by Spanish police.
How Much Did Barcelona Pay For Coutinho?
Philippe Coutinho, whose services cost Barcelona €135 million and remains their record transfer fee, began life as everyone expected, scoring a commendable 11 goals and registering five assists in his first full season.
It is unclear just what went wrong for the Brazilian. Being forced out onto the wing by manager Ernesto Valverde limited his influence somewhat, and in turn, the Camp Nou crowd began to turn on him within a year, demanding more from a player of his expenditure.
This Coutinho goal🔥🤩
Only if he had succeeded at Barca😢pic.twitter.com/pzU00Bq2D1— Achilles44 (@Achilles4510) December 22, 2023
He is also described as being ‘painfully shy’, which is the antithesis of what is needed to float above the water line at a club as grand as Barcelona.
Coutinho was loaned to Bayern Munich just over a year after he arrived, which effectively signalled the end of his time with the Blaugrana.
Barcelona Transfer Rumours For January
Although the perception still exists that Barcelona are being forced to tighten the purse strings, they continue to operate in the market.
They remain at loggerheads with La Liga, who are eager to clamp down on the haphazardness the club have shown over the past decade when handing players extortionate wage packages.
Club president Joan Laporta has sold off sizeable chunks of their television and merchandising rights, but this is nothing more than a short-term solution. Whether they will be able to sign anyone in the January window looks uncertain, but the latest Barcelona transfer rumours continue to link them with several players.
Not least Tottenham’s Giovanni Lo Celso, who could be available for less than €20 million as Tottenham look to raise funds for a midfield revamp.
So too Genoa’s highly-rated centre-back Radu Dragusin, who is also among the leading candidates in the latest Tottenham January transfer odds.
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