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Bad or good transfer? Discuss. Everything included the fee is rumoured to be around 50M euros.

That's a serious fee, and out of nowhere!

Surely that means Turan is out? I mean earlier today it was all but dusted that Gomez was headed to Real Madrid and then we hijacked it. I like him allot, tbh. I actually named him allot in the past 2 seasons in the transfer rumors thread, because I liked what I saw out of him with Valencia. I think he is that "CM" that Barca hasn't really had in the squad since Xavi/Thiago left. Every player we have brought into midfield since then has either been a DM (Sergi/Samper) or CAM (Rafinha/Suarez/Rakatic/Turan). So I think he will be a breathe of fresh air and bring a new aspect to our midfield (plus is young and can still improve allot).

I'm not crazy at all for that price though, that's pretty nuts. I don't get it, the club was rumored to have 60M for the transfer window, spent more than half of it on Umtiti/Digne and only recouped a very small portion from sales. So this surely means we are in the negative, which leads me to believe that Turan is headed out. He is the only player we can get a 20M+ transfer fee for that we are willing to part ways with. I think the fact Madrid were bout to sign him, and the fact we really wanted him and didn't want our rivals to get him is what ultimately lead to that massive price tag. I hope we still have enough funds to land a solid forward, and not RVP or some nonsense.

Anyways, welcome to Barca Gomes

EDIT: Saw in another post on Twitter it's actually 30M. A few other sites say 40M, but not 50M. Let's wait and see what the official number is. The site saying it's 30M, indicates it's actually 30M + a player (either going to be Tello or Montoya)

EDIT: According to trasnfermarket, the fee is 30M Euros, which leads me to believe it's true Valencia will get a player in part of the deal (would be horse shit if it's Samper after making that big deal of him being promoted a few days ago)

http://www.transfermarkt.com/jumplist/transfers/spieler/221025/transfer_id/1546013

Samper signed a 3 year contract just this week. Don't think it's him.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this transfer window. Hopefully LE uses the signings wisely.

Haven't seen much of this guy. Can someone explain his ideal position (looks to be CM)? What kind of a player is he? Does he maintain the tempo? Is he a workhorse? How similar is he to Rakitic?

What a stupid transfer. We have spent 55 milion on Andre Gomes, 35 milion on Arda Turan, 20 milion on Lucas Digne, 18 milion on Aleix Vidal, and 25 milion on Umtiti. That's 153 milion on players that are meant to be rotation and that most likely will never be starters for us. We could have signed Pogba with that and still one or two backups. Clueless. Disgusting.

You sign players to be starters. It's just stupid to spend crazy money on subs.

Now we sign a midfielder who has been less than impressive with Valencia for 50 milion! A midfielder whose only talent is to drible. He's not a great passer or at anything else. At least he is "young" (same age as Pogba). And we have like 25 midfielders. The stupidest transfer we've done in a long time.

Just 3 goals and 3 assists last season.

There are plenty of midfielders better than him not at Barça or Madrid in la Liga: Banega, Saul, Koke, even players I don't like much like Gabi, Illaramendi or Parejo.

Total fraud of a signing. I'm outraged. It's like we want Madrid to dominate and the PL clubs to catch us.

Don't mind the fee

We need depth and that's what we are doing, getting depth

Last season's bench was shit and now it changes

Marcus Aurelius wrote:Don't mind the fee

We need depth and that's what we are doing, getting depth

Last season's bench was shit and now it changes

Agreed very much. Besides if we were to break bank I would rather have verratti than Pogba.

free_cat wrote:What a stupid transfer. We have spent 55 milion on Andre Gomes, 35 milion on Arda Turan, 20 milion on Lucas Digne, 18 milion on Aleix Vidal, and 25 milion on Umtiti. That's 153 milion on players that are meant to be rotation and that most likely will never be starters for us. We could have signed Pogba with that and still one or two backups. Clueless. Disgusting.

I think we can all agree Arda was unnecessary.
Its strange to see you change your tune on Vidal. You said it is potentially a very good signing before Lucho froze him out of the squad. That is poor management on Lucho's part and nothing to do with transfer strategy.
Umtiti is a very good investment. He comes recommended and if he adapts, we have a CB for the next decade.
Digne was actually needed. Alba is injury prone and we needed cover there. Our first 2 options didnt want to come (as they wouldnt start). Still he is very young and fits the profile.
I am unsure about Gomes. But for some reason, all the big clubs seem to rate him. We were interested and so were Madrid and Juve. Lets wait and watch. And the fee has not come out yet.
Overall, I think this has been a very good transfer window. We are investing in youth(including the Brazilian CB we signed for the B who is by all accounts a good prospects).
Overall they are the kind of signings we should be making. Young with upside potential. Better than signing grandpas for exorbitant amounts. Also we have made the signings quickly meaning they will have plenty of time to integrate into the team during pre season.
Overall, I think Robert has done a fantastic job.

Some people are never content

If we splashed over 100M for Pogba same people would complain as well

You can never do something that suits everyone.

What i know is that we are buying young and promising players and not 30 year olds anymore. Be happy for once ffs!

From the few times I have watched him, yes, he is more similar to Rakitić.

I think Barcelona's style is slowly and truly over. In other words, forget about dominating the midfield and playing from the back.

Should have signed Ramsey.

let's be real free cat is just upset that this signings make la masia look a little worse.
the signings were necessary, i would rather buy 4 youth potentials than 1 superstar (pogba)

from what i keep hearing about gomes, he's a natural centermid which is something we've been lacking since xavi/thiago has left.
we've gotten cesc, rakitic, d. suarez, turan, rafinha all attacking midfields but not that centermid mold we've been needing.

he's only 22 and still very raw.. didn't help he played for valencia in one of their worst seasons with a bad manager.. or that he was played out of position in portugal.

also note i'm not saying he's xavi in any way but his abilities separate him from the recent cm purchases we've gotten

I don't think it has been a bad window. We've invested in the future. The supply from La Masia hasn't been up to the mark, and when it has, the coaches have screwed up. Thus we've had to tap in into the transfer market.

I mean, take Umtiti. All of Fontas + Muniesa + Bartra didn't work out. Case could be made that coaches could've used them better, but they didn't. Thus we had to look elsewhere.

We aren't like Dortmund, a club which always manages to get good talent for cheap amounts. Our scouting doesn't seem to be at that level. So we adopt this route.

I'm on the more satisfied side because it seems that after a long time we are investing in the future. Otherwise, we would have bought another Turan for 40m or something.

free_cat wrote:You sign players to be starters. It's just stupid to spend crazy money on subs.

Now we sign a midfielder who has been less than impressive with Valencia for 50 milion! A midfielder whose only talent is to drible. He's not a great passer or at anything else. At least he is "young" (same age as Pogba). And we have like 25 midfielders. The stupidest transfer we've done in a long time.

Just 3 goals and 3 assists last season.

There are plenty of midfielders better than him not at Barça or Madrid in la Liga: Banega, Saul, Koke, even players I don't like much like Gabi, Illaramendi or Parejo.

Total fraud of a signing. I'm outraged. It's like we want Madrid to dominate and the PL clubs to catch us.

So your judging the stats of a player who spent all season led by that flop Neville? The entire squad under performed under his reign, that doesn't mean they don't have a handful of guys that could help us out (Mustafi for example). And I've said plenty of times, I think Gomes fits the mold of a Barca midfielder 10x more than that massive flop Turan. So if bringing in Gomes leads to Turan heading out, I think that swap along improves our midfield by a huge margin

Donuts wrote:let's be real free cat is just upset that this signings make la masia look a little worse.
the signings were necessary, i would rather buy 4 youth potentials than 1 superstar (pogba)

Lolwut? If I want us to sign Pogba it has nothing to do with la Masia.
So, you also wanted us to sign 8 youth players with potential instead of Suarez and Neymar? That would have been funny. We would now have a front three composed of Griezman, Messi and Willian, with a bench full of players to get rid off, with the likes of Juan Iturbe, Schurle, Sadio Mane, Bernard, Depay or Salah, all young starlets with potential when they were transferred during those seasons.

Pogba is a signing of Neymar/Suarez calibre but for midfield, a sure bet. Also, it's not like Gomes is younger and obviously doesn't have more potential than Pogba, they are the same age!

windkick wrote:
So your judging the stats of a player who spent all season led by that flop Neville?

I'm judging the player for his stats and for his abilities. His stats weren't any better other seasons. His abilities are not great either, he's only a good dribler. He's not great at anything else.

To compare, Rakitic had like 10 goals and 20 assists the year we signed him and he is just a good player for us. Can't expect anything good about this stupid signing.

Also, we have like 10 midfielders for 3 spots. It's just ridiculous and stupid to sign another rotation player.

alexjanosik wrote:
I think we can all agree Arda was unnecessary.
Its strange to see you change your tune on Vidal. You said it is potentially a very good signing before Lucho froze him out of the squad. That is poor management on Lucho's part and nothing to do with transfer  strategy.
Umtiti is a very good investment. He comes recommended and if he adapts, we have a CB for the next decade.
Digne was actually needed. Alba is injury prone and we needed cover there. Our first 2 options didnt want to come (as they wouldnt start). Still he is very young and fits the profile.
I am unsure about Gomes. But for some reason, all the big clubs seem to rate him. We were interested and so were Madrid and Juve. Lets wait and watch. And the fee has not come out yet.
Overall, I think this has been a very good transfer window. We are investing in youth(including the Brazilian CB we signed for the B who is by all accounts a good prospects).
Overall they are the kind of signings we should be making. Young with upside potential. Better than signing grandpas for exorbitant amounts. Also we have made the signings quickly meaning they will have plenty of time to integrate into the team during pre season.
Overall, I think Robert has done a fantastic job.

I like Vidal, but if he is not going to play it's a stupid signing.

I completely disagree. It's a very poor strategy to sign rotation players. If you spend money, you do it for starters, as we did on Luis Enrique's first season and the only season Zubizarreta did a good job. We signed Ter Stegen, Rakitic, Bravo, Suarez and Mathieu. 4 of them starter potential and Mathieu an almost starter considering our CB status.

I don't expect any of the players we signed to be starters, ever, for us. We don't need rotation guys, we need to improve our starting 11 (and the guy that comes out of it will be the new rotation guy).

I do agree with free_cat, I think this signing is completely unnecessary. He is young but as mentioned Gomes is not a good passer, his vision and decision making are poor and his only strength is his dribbling skills which, mind you, are quite acceleration driven (i.e. he is not a great close dribbler). I have not watched him enough to comment on his defensive abilities but he is quick to recover space, much like Rakitić but I'm not sure if he is as industrious as the Croat.

Having said that signing Pogba would be stupid also. He is overrated and consequently overpriced. Not to mention his agent.

danyjr wrote:I do agree with free_cat, I think this signing is completely unnecessary. He is young but as mentioned Gomes is not a good passer, his vision and decision making are poor and his only strength is his dribbling skills which, mind you, are quite acceleration driven (i.e. he is not a great close dribbler). I have not watched him enough to comment on his defensive abilities but he is quick to recover space, much like Rakitić but I'm not sure if he is as industrious as the Croat.

Having said that signing Pogba would be stupid also. He is overrated and consequently overpriced. Not to mention his agent.

It doesn't matter if he is overpriced or overrated. He is hands down the best midfielder available on the market and an unflopable signing. He is a Suarez/Neymar signing but at the midfield. The best player we can sign to improve our midfield, be a starter and replace Iniesta in due time.

No, he isn't the best midfielder available on the market. He is the most hyped up. And with a price tag to give any team a headache.

danyjr wrote:No, he isn't the best midfielder available on the market. He is the most hyped up. And with a price tag to give any team a headache.

Please, do tell who is a better midfielder than Pogba, then.

Koke. Ramsey. Modrić. Cazorla. Pjanić.

The guy wasn't even France's best midfielder in Euro 2016. Sissokho and Payet made him look average.

danyjr wrote:Koke. Ramsey. Modrić. Cazorla. Pjanić.

The guy wasn't even France's best midfielder in Euro 2016. Sissokho and Payet made him look average.

Ramsey is a great player but probably not as good as Pogba and with an injury record. Modric is not on the market. The rest are so far from Pogba it's not even funny.

Eurocup is a 4 week tournament, I prefer the regularity of 3 whole seasons beasting it in the Serie A and with great displays in the CL either. Also, Payet is a 29 year old AM and Sissoko is kinda meh and played mostly as RW.

I also like Atletico's Saul, but he is also far from Pogba although I like him perhaps more than Koke.

Except you could sign Pjanić and Koke for the same price you'd pay for Pogba.

Just cause he performs well for the best team in the Serie one-horse race it doesn't mean he is world class.

LOL at you not thinking Pogba isn't legit. The guys a rarity, fast, tall, strong midfielder than can has all the tools at his disposal to play in a variety of ways. Payet scored some nice goals at the Euro but faded pretty bad as the tournament went on, and was usually one of the first ones to get subbed out. Not to mention he isn't the same type of midfielder as Pogba, as players in midfield can have a variety of roles/jobs. Pogba has more tools to play in a variety of ways/tactics while Payet is only best when playing forward. So like I said, Pogba has way more tools at his disposal than him. Sissoko? What, cause he was running up and down the flank bullying people around, that makes him a better midfielder? A joke you would even mention him and Pogba together. Pogba not starting from the get go had to do more with issues with the coach than his technical ability, so bad example. I like Pjanic, but he doesn't have all the tools or physicality that Pogba does. Carzola is good technically but goes missing in chunks of the season. Ramsey wasn't nothing special last season, his best season was the previous one. He looked like a god with Wales....because he was playing for Wales. Pogba would look 5x better than he is playing next to that many mediocre midfielders. That said, I like Ramsey but he isn't on that level. Koke and Modric are great players, but both made it pretty clear they don't want to leave there clubs.

Not to mention, Pogba is only 23 and all those guys you mentioned are like 26 or older. Pogba at his age has ridiculous skill and talent, and will only improve to even higher amounts. Those guys you mentioned are already finished products. Payet hit his peak almost at 30, how long you think that will last? Sissoko? Give me a break LOL. Pjanic and Ramsey are both legit but aen't looking like they are gonna progress further and Carzola had his peak with Villareal/Malaga already. He's a year or 2 from being replaced all together and if you ask me already looks like he's declining.

EDIT: I'm also not saying he's worth that ridiculous price, but I CAN totally see why he is valued so highly. I'm mainly arguing that he is world class and has the tools to improve his game even further.

Read my post again. I didn't say Payet and Sissokho are better players per se, I said that as midfielders they had a better tournament than Pogba. Hell even that headless chicken Matuidi or Kanté had less disappointing performances than Pogba.

When Zidane was captured by Madrid as the most expensive player in the world, it wasn't cause he was a talent that could be the best player in the world. He was already proven to be the best after winning the World Cup with France. People pay that kind of millions for a high quality proven player, not just a talent that might become the next Zidane.

I added this to my old post, before I saw you say anything.

EDIT: I'm also not saying he's worth that ridiculous price, but I CAN totally see why he is valued so highly. I'm mainly arguing that he is world class and has the tools to improve his game even further.

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So, your in that special group that bases a players value on what he wins in a tournament with the NT? Our best player in history, Hugo Sanchez, flat out missed out on a World Cup because the rest of the players on the NT were turds. Does that mean he isn't Mexico's best player in our history? Sissoko in your eyes had a better tournament because he was running up a flank and bullying people around, therefor he should have a higher transfer value than Pogba? Adrien started for Portugal and won the Euros, so he is now a better midfielder than all of the rest of players in the tournament? Give me a break, how about you look at what each player individually does over a season + tournaments to value how good they really are? Pogba's tool set is already world class, and he will only progress further, and he's only 23. Had Zidane not won with France, he would of still been sold for a world record fee because of his obvious tool set. If we were to sell NT loser Messi today, he would go for more than Ronaldo, and guess what...Ronaldo has a Euro cup under his belt and Messi has 4 final losses. But no one cares, because they are looking at the player, not what he and the players that were born in the same generation as him + whatever tard coach assigned to manage them were able to accomplish together in a summer tournament.

You forget some times mangers play players out of position (something that wont happen with the club as much), or play with players out of form which makes them look bad, sometimes players play through knocks since its hard to pass up on a summer tournament, sometimes managers play formations and tactics that might hinder certain players performances but make others look like gods. I mean theirs so much crap involved in summer tournaments, so to just sit there and say a player like Pogba isn't world class for not performing up to some standard of yours is absurd.

danyjr wrote:Except you could sign Pjanić and Koke for the same price you'd pay for Pogba.

Just cause he performs well for the best team in the Serie one-horse race it doesn't mean he is world class.

I like Koke, but he is nowhere Pogba. Pjanic is not even a great midfielder. Boring abd uncreative footballer. He only has set pieces.