Tyler Stearns |
Barcelona are historically one of the biggest clubs in the world. With five Champions Leagues, 27 La Liga Titles, and 31 Copa Del Reys, they are among the top echelons of the sport. They have also had some of the best players in history (one being the best) in Lionel Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldinho, Puyol, Dani Alves, Cruyff, and others. They have consistently contended for Spain and Europe's top trophies.
In 2021 though, Barcelona started to struggle financially. After spending nearly 500 Million Dollars on Dembele, Coutinho, and Griezmann without any notable sales aside from Neymar, they were beginning to see a net loss. The specific system that deals with a club's earnings and spending is called Financial Fair Play (FFP). FFP was made to prevent future financial failure by preventing teams from spending more than they earn. In the past, many teams have gone from the top to relegation battles because of their poor spending habits, so FFP was created to stop that. Since 2021, Barcelona has been in a financial trainwreck. They have had to get approval for FFP on every single transfer and have been very stingy with their spending habits. The club is still massive, so they do bring in top talents on loan or cheap contracts. But their ability to do so has been hindered by their economic mistakes. What also doesn't help is the nearly half a million renovation on their stadium, the Camp Nou.
Financial Fair Play is a good system. It stops teams like PSG, Arsenal, and Spurs from overspending on unnecessary players. However, when gone unchecked, like in the case of Barcelona, Chelsea, and Manchester City, it can harm the team or the other clubs in the league. Though Manchester City and Chelsea aren't in financial struggle yet, they each have been charged numerous times with FFP violations and will see a board in October for punishment.
But for Barcelona, their struggles continue this season. Last summer was their only profitable transfer window since Neymar's departure. They made two big signings in Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, though both were on loan. They brought in Oriol Romeu, Iñigo Martinez, and Ilkay Gundogan for a combined fee of four million Euros. Then in the Winter, they brought Vitor Roque from Athletic Paranese to the club. Overall, they spent $44 million on transfers in 2023. In turn, they received over 100 Million dollars on departures.
This season, the president has come out and stated they can make a signing in the range of 50-70 million dollars. They are targeting Nico Williams, but also have Dani Olmo and Bernardo Silva on their radar. They will likely be able to make one of those signings but will have to send off a player to make another. Assuming they buy Nico Williams without selling a player, their next transaction will require a sale. Though the attractive signing would be Dani Olmo, the right signing would be a defensive midfielder. Martin Zubimendi, Edson Alvarez, Ruben Neves, and Bruno Guimarães are all likely on their radar. Financially, a move for Edson Alvarez or Ruben Neves would be the best. Personnel-wise, Guimarães would be the best.
Barca will sing a winger this summer, whether it be Olmo or Williams. But a six would be even more helpful. If they can work with FFP, everything will be going in the Blaugrana's favor.
Comments