Transfer Rumours V6

danyjr wrote:I'm not one to talk about conspiracies yet I can't help but feel like someone or a group of people have been consistently trying to sabotage Barça for years. Whether it is the Laporta Mafia or Fartomeu insiders, I don't know. There are simply too many instances of gigantic errors and shambolic decisions for them to be coincidental.

There's something else I would worry about more than anything else if I were a Barça fan: Their overspending.

Now don't get me wrong. It's always nice to see your club always trying to sign the best players and never hesitating to spend big on elite talent. I actually admire them a lot for that and have criticized Madrid countless times for being stingy at times. I have nothing against (and even encourage) spending big on players who are either generational or too good to pass up the chance of signing them.

But when you see your club spending exorbitant amounts of money on players who don't necessarily deserve such fees, it can become problematic, especially when in the process they are burning bridges with other clubs.

For instance, I think Coutinho and Dembelé can be elite if certain conditions are met. But there's no way in hell either of them deserve the money Barça spent for them. Even Grizzy didn't deserve a three-figure transfer. And the overspending doesn't seem to stop because not too long ago I read some rumors about them willing to trigger Lautaro's release clause as well (which if I'm not mistaken hovers around 105m). I think the player himself is quite talented, but he still hasn't done anything to justify such a high price.

Now let me tell you why I would be worried.  Barça is the sport's biggest cash-generating club in 2019 at €990 million. On paper, that's just great, but I believe it's a curse in disguise because the massive revenues are concealing the financial blunders of Bartomeu and his board - the kind of blunders that would get exposed easily at a club with smaller revenues. And the way they are throwing massive piles of cash left and right on players who aren't even good enough to be Ballon d'Or contenders leads me to believe that there's something seriously shady going on in the background.

Miralem Pjanić is considered as a fundamental piece by the club to contribute to the transition of the team in its generational change, acting as a leader and mentor for young players thanks to his experience. [md]


I guess those "young players"....we are yet to sign??

The Demon of Carthage wrote:And the way they are throwing massive piles of cash left and right on players who aren't even good enough to be Ballon d'Or contenders leads me to believe that there's something seriously shady going on in the background.

I could write an essay on this stuff. From hijacking Malcom's transfer last minute from Roma only to not play him at all to not sacking Valverde after consecutive disastrous CL brain farts only to sack him after losing a mickey mouse cup in Saudi Arabia. I could go on, but I frankly have stopped caring at this point.

F.C. Barcelona 2020-2021, the story so far. Emerson is with Real Betis and will only join Barcelona if we pay half of what Betis paid for him, since we basically helped Betis get him with us having dibs for half of his rights in some weird deal. In other words he isn't our player unless we complete the transfer, hence why he isn't listed.

Goal Keepers
Marc-André ter Stegen
Neto

Defenders
Gerard Piqué: Captain (3)
Jordi Alba
Sergi Roberto: Captain (4)
Samuel Umtiti
Nélson Semedo
Clément Lenglet
Junior Firpo
Marc Cucurella – Return from loan, Getafe
Jean-Clair Todibo – Return from loan, FC Schalke 04
Moussa Wagué – Return from loan, OGC Nice

Midfield
Sergio Busquets: Captain (2)
Ivan Rakitić
Arturo Vidal
Frenkie de Jong  
Matheus Fernandes – Arrived from Palmeiras
Rafinha – Return from loan, Celta de Vigo
Carles Aleña – Return from loan, Real Betis
Miralem Pjanić – Arrived from Juventus

Forwards
Lionel Messi: Captain (1)
Luis Suárez
Ousmane Dembélé
Antoine Griezmann
Martin Braithwaite
Pedri – Arrived from las Las Palmas
Francisco Trincão – Arrived from SC Braga
Philippe Coutinho – Return from loan, FC Bayern Munich

Departed FC Barcelona
Arthur Melo (Juventus), Arda Turan (???)

Umtiti has been looking completely brain dead since coming back. Every time he is caught out of position. He was never the most tactical defender, relied more on physicality than brains but man he was awful against Celta.

danyjr wrote:Umtiti has been looking completely brain dead since coming back. Every time he is caught out of position. He was never the most tactical defender, relied more on physicality than brains but man he was awful against Celta.

Might just be rust after being in and out for so long

Great article by the always great Sid Lowe

Worth reading in full but I liked this part the most:

https://www.espn.com/soccer/spanish-primera-division/story/4122091/barcelona-swapping-arthur-for-pjanic-was-a-business-move-but-for-all-the-wrong-reasons

"The incoming "money" -- and it's worth repeating that the only cash on the move is €12m -- is immediate income in full. The outgoing cost is spread across the duration of their contracts through amortisation. Hey, presto, close to a €50m profit. Which is handy when it comes to FFP. The accountancy is more creative than the midfielders are.

For Barcelona, that is particularly important. More to the point, for Barcelona's board it is. Sam Marsden and Moi Llorens have explained on these pages how Barcelona already needed to raise €124m in sales this season, which put them in the position of needing to find around €60m before July 1. And that was before the effects of the pandemic were calculated. If they didn't, the board of directors would find themselves personally liable for 15% of the loss, as per the 1990 law that governed club structures. That is why Barcelona were so desperate to get a deal done, why a seemingly strange swap deal happened."

Now I kinda wish Arthur insisted on his stay and forced the board pay for their mistakes

Yea, its evident a lot of the deals in the past few years have been made purely for the board's financial gains, I dont know how they do it, but its the stuff of the rich these days, its like they do robberies in broad day light, but ordinary fans like us how do a thing about it even though we know its happening because we just arent in position to.

Makes me think of those powerful fan clubs or associations whatever that are big enough to be able to nego with the club and at times force them to at least stop some of these practices.

Unfortunately the football world is full of corruption and Barca its all the same, selfish rich bastards all just thinking about themselves and their positions more than the clubs footballing status.

The figure today for Laotoro is 70M + Firpo (valued at 40M) for the 10 goal a year guy.

I understand his work rate but this club drops so much cash on players that turn to crap. This guy isnt even performing at a super high level to begin with.

Nice way to cash on Firpo tbh. He is worth €10m at most.

I would say 70M is a decent price considering his release clause was 111M but Leroy Sane just went to Bayern for 50M so fuck me sideways.

Sané wanted to leave so that reduces your price a little, and Bayern acted swiftly to sign him. I personally don't think he's all that, and he's had a long history of causing beef in the dressing room.

€70 million is a decent price considering you spent almost twice on flops like Dembélé, Coutinho and Griezmann.

that is assuming Lautaro doesn't flop too

He won't. He has already played with Messi and they have that telepathic understanding of each other. He will come good.

lurked at barcaforum for a minute and seen this




someone wants to blacken up the squad

Might as well tbh. It's not like they're going to improve the squad either way.

Been linked with Garcia from City and the Turkish CB from Leicester. Both are shit tbh. So might as well black it up to win brownie points from BLM hipsters and virtues signalling cucks.

Just one more year, Dany. Elections in 2021 and hopefully a brighter future lies ahead with staff at the club that actually understands the game.

At this rate whoever comes will be better than these muppets

Barcelona will try to sign Valencia left-back José Luis Gayà (25) this summer. [mundo mestalla]

Average player but certainly an upgrade over Firpo.

So, signings this summer:

Matheus Fernandes (22) from Palmeiras
Francisco Trincao (20) from Braga
Pedro "Pedri" Gonzalez (17) from Las Palmas
Pjanić (30) from Jjuve



This Pedri guy is one to watch out for, big talent apparently

need more movement in the market, lets see who Koeman requests. Wijnaldum is reportedly his first wish.

I hope Wijnaldum is true, likely since Dutch would wanna bring Dutch players in Hes one of their best players and an all rounder, worker type who could really help us out. Obviously would need to adapt to our game, but if hes good enough for Liverpool and a star in the NT, he should be good enough to.

Myesyats wrote:So, signings this summer:

Matheus Fernandes (22) from Palmeiras
Francisco Trincao (20) from Braga
Pedro "Pedri" Gonzalez (17) from Las Palmas
Pjanić (30) from Jjuve



This Pedri guy is one to watch out for, big talent apparently

need more movement in the market, lets see who Koeman requests. Wijnaldum is reportedly his first wish.

Trincao looked legit in the youth tournament I watched him. Let's see if he steps up to the senior level.

Trincao was player of the month for Jan and Feb in the Portugese leauge, I've only seen youtube highlights but he does seem promising and hopefully comes good because we sorely miss pacey wingers with dribbling ability.

Ronald Koeman wants to sign AZ Alkmaar winger Calvin Stengs. Koeman has recommended him to the Barça board and the club's recruitment staff are already well aware of the Dutch international. [sky sports]

Dont mind the Wijnaldum rumors. Only one which makes sense. We desperately need legs in midfield and he provides that. Although, he is old. Probably not the right move when we already have a very old squad.