The market Barcelona are having to deal with this summer

Barcelona’s economic situation is extremely delicate. Josep Maria Bartomeu’s board were working in unsustainable ays and the club’s finances have been destroyed. Joan Laporta is obligated to restructure the set up of the first team. It will be a long summer. Various important decisions have to be made.

Barca were in a similar moment in 2014 when the squad needed remodelling, but were able to spend 167 million euros (Suarez, Rakitic, Ter Stegen, Rakitic, Bravo), receiving 82 (Alexis, Cesc and others). Their total spend was 85m euros then, a figure they can’t match now.

Laporta has to deal with a market on hold because of the Euros, the Copa America and the Olympic Games, as well as the imminent but difficult renewal of Messi’s deal, and various players with huge salaries that are hard to dump like Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, etc.

How did Barca get into this cul-de-sac? They were given 222m euros by PSG for Neymar in 2017. With their pockets full they splashed cash in excess for Ousmane Dembele and Coutinho.

In 2018 there was an atypical summer in that 141m was spent on Malcom, Lenglet, Arthur, Arturo Vidal and Co, but 146m euros was recouped for Paulinho, Mina, Digne, Deulofeu, Aleix Vidal and others. However the intention had been to buy Antoine Griezmann for Atletico Madrid, but he turned the club down at that point in his infamous La Decision documentary. 

He came the next year, along with De Jong, with Bartomeu getting into some curious exchanges; Cillessen and Neto, then Arthur and Pjanic the following summer. They also gave away Suarez, Rakitic and Arturo Vidal to try and manage the wage bill. The net balance was -448 million euros since 2014, and the pandemic has been a stick of dynamite to worsen the situation. 

NOW WHAT

“Barca don’t know how to sell” is a phrase oft-repeated. There is a reality that a lot of people don’t consider. The club signs players when they are at their best moment and can offer immediate performance, while they sell after the player has offered their best and is on the way down. Griezmann is a good example of this, Rakitic too.

Laporta is conscious the club needs to work with austerity. Eric Garcia, Kun Aguero and Memphis Depay all arrived without transfer cost. Barca can’t spend big. They are getting rid of players the best they can - Todibo, Konrad, Trincao, Matheus Fernandes, while Junior and Pjanic are about to leave. Barring a surprise, Barca’s 2021-22 balance will be balanced. There is no other way.