BARCELONA may just be the WORST football club in the world when it comes to transfers.
For a club that can seemingly lure any superstar in the world to the Camp Nou – you’d think they’d be better at it by now.
But in truth, Barca haven’t invested their money wisely since 2015… FIVE years ago.
In the summer of 2014, the club realised they needed to strengthen the spine of their team to keep on competing.
Barcelona splashed out £150million on Luis Suarez, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ivan Rakitic – all star players in the past few years.
But since then, the LaLiga giants have spent a staggering £940m on a whole host of flops.
Of near-billion pound spend, £535m has been searching for a third forward to join Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Check out where it all went wrong, below…
2015-16
Barcelona’s 2015-16 signings were thoroughly underwhelmingCredit: EPA
Arda Turan, Aleix Vidal
AFTER spending big – and with huge success, at that – a season before, Barcelona opted against any mega transfers in 2015-16.
They instead looked to bolster their squad with useful role players – Turan and Vidal.
Both flopped badly at the Camp Nou – with Vidal sold to Sevilla and Turan in the midst of a two-year loan at Istanbul Basaksehir with a view to being sold for good this summer.
Having won the Champions League a year earlier, the Blaugrana were surprisingly knocked out by Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals.
2016-17
Andre Gomes was one of half a dozen dodgy dealings by Barcelona in 2016Credit: Reuters
Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne, Jasper Cillessen, Denis Suarez
AFTER a dreadful year in the transfer market a year earlier, Barcelona looked to rebuild once again in the summer of 2016.
Instead, what they signed were a now-Everton duo, an Arsenal flop, a back-up stopper now at Valencia and a striker now at Villarreal via Borussia Dortmund.
The only decent signing – from Barcelona’s point of view – that summer was Umtiti… and even he isn’t always a first choice centre-back these days.
Once again, the quarter-finals proved as far as the Catalans could go in Europe with an impressive Juventus exacting revenge for their 2015 final defeat.
2017-18
Coutinho and Dembele both signed for over £100m – and have both struggled at BarcelonaCredit: EPA
Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Paulinho, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu, Yerry Mina, Marlon
TWO appalling transfer markets in the book, Barcelona saw only one way out… spend, spend, spend.
The £142m signing of Coutinho was a disaster, with the Brazilian sent on loan to Bayern Munich and looking certain to be sold this summer.
Dembele, also signing for over £100m, could be off after an injury-plagued stay at the Camp Nou.
Semedo has been solid since arriving, but Paulinho, Deulofeu, Marlon and Mina all proved disastrous and have already been sold.
Despite a 4-1 win over Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg, Barcelona managed to lose the second leg 3-0 as serious questions were asked about the direction of the team.
2018-19
Malcom never came close to finding his top form in SpainCredit: Splash News
Malcom, Clement Lenglet, Arthur Melo, Arturo Vidal, Jean-Clair Todibo
ANOTHER dud year in the transfer market behind them, Barcelona chiefs had high hopes for 2018-19.
Signing Malcom looked to be a no-brainer thanks to his electric form at Bordeaux, they thought.
They were wrong.
But in big-name Vidal, Barcelona would surely have a superstar centre-mid for years to come.
Wrong again.
Todibo has barely had a chance, viewed more as one for the future – while Arthur and Lenglet have been solid first-team players since arriving.
But now Arthur has been shipped off to Juventus, with the club aiming to do better with Miralem Pjanic after their swap deal.
In Europe, it was a case of being on the wrong end of another mad comeback as Liverpool overturned a three-goal first leg deficit in the semi-finals.
2019-20
Griezmann has struggled since swapping Atletico Madrid for BarcelonaCredit: Reuters
Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie De Jong, Neto, Martin Braithwaite, Junior Firpo, Emerson, Pedri
SIGNING proven world-class forward Griezmann was meant to solve everything.
Finally the Messi-Suarez tandem would have a third leg to push them to bigger and better things.
Then there was the signing of Ajax wonderkid De Jong – meant to help propel the Barcelona midfield into the 2020s.
Both have failed to replicate their form from their former clubs.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Pedri has been bagged while former Middlesbrough flop Braithwaite was arguably the shock signing of the season.
Emerson, Neto and Firpo have all struggled to get a game – with the former spending the season on loan at Real Betis – before the season ended at the hands of Bayern Munich and an 8-2 rout in the Champions League last-eight.
2020-21
Can Miralem Pjanic break Barcelona’s market hoodoo?Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Miralem Pjanic, Francisco Trincao
Another transfer window, another attacker as Barcelona look to the Portuguese top-flight for Braga hotshot Trincao.
How much impact the 20-year-old has next season may depend on whether they can bag top target Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan.
Following the nightmare 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich and Quique Setien’s sacking, a dose of midfield calm will arrive in experienced playmaker Pjanic.
Big names for big money, smaller names for smaller money – it doesn’t seem to matter… Barcelona just can’t get it right in the transfer window at the moment.
Watch Lionel Messi IGNORE Barcelona No2 as row with coaches rages on and boss Setien now set to leave after bust-up
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
