Barcelona agree €14m deal to sign Alba

The Catalans confirm they have reached an agreement with Los Che over the transfer of the Spain international this summer, with the full-back ready to sign a five-year contract

Barcelona have announced on their official website that they have agreed a fee with Valencia for the signing of Jordi Alba.

The Blaugrana had long been linked with a move for the left-back, and are now one step closer to completing the deal after negotiating a €14 million fee.

Alba will undergo a medical next week, and sign a five-year deal upon successful completion of his physical examination.

"Barcelona announce that today an agreement with Valencia has been reached for the transfer of Jordi Alba, pending a medical examination. The player will undergo in Barcelona next week," an official statement reads.

"The cost of the transfer will be €14m and the player will sign a contract for the next five seasons."

Alba, 23, is a product of the Barcelona youth academy, but failed to break into the first team at Camp Nou and left the club in 2005.

He will now return to his boyhood outfit after spells with Cornella, Gimnastic and Valencia.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2012/06/28/3206347/barcelona-agree-14m-deal-to-sign-alba

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/agreement-with-valencia-over-jordi-alba

shit!

good buy, but barca fans better not try to sell him as an academy graduate

he's an academy graduate

He actually is TA. Came through the Barca ranks, didn't make the cut, Valencia picked him up and is now a Barca player again. Um, he'll probably do well but I have my doubts he'll have the impact as Abidal or Alves.

To be more precise, I hope he doesn't have the impact as Abidal or Alves...

Jessica Alba to barcelona, congratz

hilarious

I love it. I know some Barca fans especially one whom I can't remember right now didn't want him due to his height I think but at a measly 14 mill I think you have to buy him even if it's just for depth.

Great signing IMO.

Doc wrote:He actually is TA. Came through the Barca ranks, didn't make the cut, Valencia picked him up and is now a Barca player again. Um, he'll probably do well but I have my doubts he'll have the impact as Abidal or Alves.

To be more precise, I hope he doesn't have the impact as Abidal or Alves...

He is another 'DNA' guy

He never made even one appearance for Barca B. He played in the academy until he was 16... Not a youth product. What did they do for his development?
He's not a product...

But we'll hear Barca fans go on about how they don't spend cash on players, like Madrid/City/Chelsea...
Because all of their starters are academy products...

May I remind to anyone that his spains weakest link atm

future WOAT

Poor Mans Marcelo through and through....except I really havent gotten a chance to see his defense in 1 on 1 situations that much.

But he's a good player, could become a great one.

teamanarchy wrote:He never made even one appearance for Barca B. He played in the academy until he was 16... Not a youth product. What did they do for his development?
He's not a product...

But we'll hear Barca fans go on about how they don't spend cash on players, like Madrid/City/Chelsea...
Because all of their starters are academy products...

Stuff like this is hilarious. I don't know why certain people try to hold Barcelona at such impossible standards.

You have to spend money now a days to compete to be the best club team in the world, that is a fact.

What also is a fact is that games vs this posters favorite team and in Champions League finals they have started with 7-8 homegrown players. IS that not good enough.

When will certain people stop bitching about Barca when they buy a player but play with 7-8 home grown players almost every game. At most they should be comended as I don't see any other elite team coming anywhere close to that.

If anything you should take your hat off to them for realizing they made mistakes with guys like Alba and Pique who we bought for 5 mill BTW (one of the best buys ever) and went and got them back instead of just watching them be good players for other teams which most teams in Europe do.

Nameless wrote:May I remind to anyone that his spains weakest link atm

And LOL. There weak link in letting up 1 goal all tournament while playing teams like France, Italy, Portugal and this posters lover Ronaldo, Croatia etc.

While BTW this being his first time as a cemented starter for Spain in a major Tournament. Yea, he's been bad. What a joke.

I think there should be mandatory IQ tests for posters on this forum.

teamanarchy wrote:He never made even one appearance for Barca B. He played in the academy until he was 16... Not a youth product. What did they do for his development?
He's not a product...

But we'll hear Barca fans go on about how they don't spend cash on players, like Madrid/City/Chelsea...
Because all of their starters are academy products...

In an interview with the newspaper El Pais, the Valencia defender yet, Jordi Alba admits that in his youth at FC Barcelona learned "philosophy of football, play fast, think before you receive the technical concepts."

dnmac4 wrote:

Nameless wrote:May I remind to anyone that his spains weakest link atm

And LOL. There weak link in letting up 1 goal all tournament while playing teams like France, Italy, Portugal and this posters lover Ronaldo, Croatia etc.

While BTW this being his first time as a cemented starter for Spain in a major Tournament. Yea, he's been bad. What a joke.

I think there should be mandatory IQ tests for posters on this forum.

You forgot the formidable attacking options posed by Ireland

hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

[b]


That may be true but you cannot discount his time at barca as to being insignificant in his development. Barca layed the foundation, i doubt he significantly changed the way played at barca in those 7 years, if anything he probably followed his natural progression aided by more playing time (valencia, nastic, etc can also take credit in his deveolpment, nothing wrong with that).

Homegrown players have a speciall kind of bond/chemistry to those assembled with gazillions of dollars

But at least he's used to getting tought lessons by Madrid
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/6297164/real_madrid_vs_valencia_6_3_goals_and_highlights/

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

Not according to the player in question.

gondov wrote:

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

[b]


That may be true but you cannot discount his time at barca as to being insignificant in his development. Barca layed the foundation, i doubt he significantly changed the way played at barca in those 7 years, if anything he probably followed his natural progression aided by more playing time (valencia, nastic, etc can also take credit in his deveolpment, nothing wrong with that).

Homegrown players have a speciall kind of bond/chemistry to those assembled with gazillions of dollars

I'm sure that his years at Barca were spent to his credit.
But Barcelona's academy cannot take credit for the good player Alba has become... That's for Valencia.
This is not similar to the Madrid-Getafe Esteban Granero/Ruben De La Red/Pablo Sarabia case

gondov wrote:

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

That may be true but you cannot discount his time at barca as to being insignificant in his development. Barca layed the foundation, i doubt he significantly changed the way played at barca in those 7 years, if anything he probably followed his natural progression aided by more playing time (valencia, nastic, etc can also take credit in his deveolpment, nothing wrong with that).

Homegrown players have a speciall kind of bond/chemistry to those assembled with gazillions of dollars

I'm sure that his years at Barca were spent to his credit.
But Barcelona's academy cannot take credit for the good player Alba has become... That's for Valencia.
This is not similar to the Madrid-Getafe Esteban Granero/Ruben De La Red/Pablo Sarabia case

harhar11 wrote:

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
[b]Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

Not according to the player in question.

Oh, so I take it you've been following Alba since his entry into the Barca academy in 1998?
Or have you been watching him since he was 16 and haven't noticed any real development occuring since?
Alba was an early developer was he?
Could've made the Barca first team since he was 14 is it?

teamanarchy wrote:

gondov wrote:

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

teamanarchy wrote:hilariousI don't expect Barcelona to meet those standards. In fact, I think it's a stupid idea that homegrown players are a massive necessity. I think it's a nice thing. But not a necessity.
I just can't stand the Barca attitude that says "we're more than a club. Instead of spending millions upon millions on the best players in the world [like Real Madrid does], we grow our own players."
Alba is not homegrown. His major stages of development, which occurred in the intervening 7 years since he left Barca, were being overseen by the coaching staff of Gymnastic and Valencia... not Barcelona.
And you spend more money than Madrid.

[b]


That may be true but you cannot discount his time at barca as to being insignificant in his development. Barca layed the foundation, i doubt he significantly changed the way played at barca in those 7 years, if anything he probably followed his natural progression aided by more playing time (valencia, nastic, etc can also take credit in his deveolpment, nothing wrong with that).

Homegrown players have a speciall kind of bond/chemistry to those assembled with gazillions of dollars

I'm sure that his years at Barca were spent to his credit.
But Barcelona's academy cannot take credit for the good player Alba has become... That's for Valencia.
This is not similar to the Madrid-Getafe Esteban Granero/Ruben De La Red/Pablo Sarabia case

they can do to a certain extent!!!!! anyway alba himself thinks so, and sees his time at barca very influential in his career.

so im pretty sure alba knows how he has developed as a player more than u sir

As I said, the player in question has said that everything that he has learn has come from Barca. I dont care what you think because when the player himself has admitted as much then I take his word over a madridistas word nor do I need to have watch his every development, as I think that he knows how he developed far more than me and you...