Xavi Hernández

[serghei]

Generally I agree, but I don't think Galactico transfers are fundamentally wrong when done right. With our three it was painfully obvious though.

I am still not sure what BBZ's point is. There are no users apart from Bobo, who I suspect is his schizophrenic alter ego, who want 100% La Masia. It's always a combination, and there's no doubt in my mind that we need to be a buying club to be successful - as we always were... even if it's just a bunch of 40ME transfers.

The way forward is with a Liverpool/Bayern approach. It's the most sustainable way. Develop internal talents and cheap golden buys, complete the squad with solid 40-50m signings, then refine the missing spots with 1-2 80m signings. It can be done in 2-3 years hopefully.

Never touch another 160m player. Not worth the risk.

Unfortunately, we don't quite have the glam and status of Real Madrid to have the luck of being the favorite club of both galactico players and opportunity signings. Because Haaland and Mbappe being possible to get for around 80m combined transfer fee is crazy luck in this market.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

The point is, if you look at clubs like Liverpool and Bayern, their team is based on skill, knowledge, and money as well of course. Never huge money alone without much else. That model would be best represented by PSG, and it's a failing one.

Mane, Salah, Firmino, Gnabry, Lewandowski, Coman. The top 6 players in these teams in their recent CL wins. Name me the 100m big signing in this list. You shouldn't even mention galactico players when a team having Origi and Shaqiri 4-0 you when you have Messsi, Suarez, Coutinho, worth around 3-400m at the time.

The Galactico model is dangerous for any club not having unlimited funds. Any fuck up of the magnitude of Coutinho and Dembele could potentially put the club in a bad spiral financial-wise. Which is happening to us and with COVID around will take years to turn around.

Galactico model was possible. Financially we could do it precovid. Sign one big player in the summer. Maybe not for 120mil but 80mil.

I think the biggest issue was the players we signed.

Coutinho wasn't fit for this team, at all. Bad signing in terms of position on the pitch.

Same as Griezmann.

These Galactico signings can't happen because of NAME only! They need to be planned well and made sure player fits the team and positions on the pitch. Long-term plan. It was missing in both cases of Coutinho and Griezmann. Dembele was good signing in a sense, but I have to say, after watching few scouting videos of Dembele, he always had terrible decision making. They should have known he wasn't worth this much money in the first place. He got very over hyped.

That's another issue. In the football market we can't be emotional. We got emotional after Neymar left and we wanted to flex our muscle and show this is Barca. That's why we went out and took two best players of other teams. Just to show we are still great Barca. We panicked, simple as that. I have to say, as a fan I panicked too. But now looking back, panic buying is the worst thing you can do!!

Every move needs be calculated if it could be good short or long term investment to the team.

And if there's nobody good available in the summer or they are over hyped/over priced. Do not buy! Simple as that. It's better to save the bullets for better buys than waste 100mil on Maguires and Coutinhos of the world!

 

[Windhook]

Yea, because we hit the nail in the head with these two. Can you guarantee that you hit the nail in the head again? And since then the price nearly doubled even from 80-100m. No way you sign a player like Suarez for 83m now. Fecking Grealish went for 100m.

It's almost like playing Russian roulette with the club's financial stability.

That's why we and Real Madrid didn't sign the LFP deal. The main concern is that Spanish clubs soon will not be competitive on the market against EPL teams and the petrodollars.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

That's why we and Real Madrid didn't sign the LFP deal. The main concern is that Spanish clubs soon will not be competitive on the market against EPL teams and the petrodollars.

Laporta knows this too. That's why he wants super league and Perez too. They see the power of Premier League and with Tebas leading LaLiga, I don't think they have much hope for improvement.

 

[serghei]

Galactico model was possible. Financially we could do it precovid. Sign one big player in the summer. Maybe not for 120mil but 80mil.

Yea, it was. Until the Qataris and Arab sheiks went nuts. Around the Neymar 222m deal is when it blew up. Don't see it coming back down. Why would it, those megarich fucks won't run out of money very soon, and nobody wants to stop them. Brace for Newcastle even, not only these guys don't go away but invited another one with pockets going deep all the way down to Marianas Trench to join the party.

 

[mc_lovin]

The way forward is with a Liverpool/Bayern approach. It's the most sustainable way. Develop internal talents and cheap golden buys, complete the squad with solid 40-50m signings, then refine the missing spots with 1-2 80m signings. It can be done in 2-3 years hopefully.

Never touch another 160m player. Not worth the risk.

Unfortunately, we don't quite have the glam and status of Real Madrid to have the luck of being the favorite club of both galactico players and opportunity signings. Because Haaland and Mbappe being possible to get for around 80m transfer fee is crazy luck in this market.

Bayern is a terrible role model for me. No other team will be able to replicate their death grip on the League. Thankfully I might add. And Liverpool is more of a club where all the planets aligned for their current success. I doubt they will be relevant long term.

But yeah, smart transfers certainly help


Edit: Still can't believe they got Lewandowski for free. If Dortmund had any self respect they would have benched him for a year as well. Set the precedent.

 

[DonAK]

The Liverpool model sounds good until you get the wrong person in charge of the transfers and end up spending 150m on six mediocre players.

 

[serghei]

Bayern is a terrible role model for me. No other team will be able to replicate their death grip on the League. Thankfully I might add. And Liverpool is more of a club where all the planets aligned for their current success. I doubt they will be relevant long term.

But yeah, smart transfers certainly help

Yea, but it would mean to oversimplify Bayern's model to speak only about that. They have an eye for talent and are super pro about how the club is built and run. It's a mix of things with them.

Besides, we can do better to get more good talents from the Spanish league.

 

[serghei]

The Liverpool model sounds good until you get the wrong person in charge of the transfers and end up spending 150m on six mediocre players.

Yea well, that's why it is key to get the right guys in charge. The first name associated with a concrete important money signing in Ferran Torres is a positive sign IMO.

The only problem is we eyed him AFTER City got him. Have to spot these players when it's less obvious they are good candidates to become top players. Otherwise, the deal gets complicated. The penalty is we're gonna have to overpay for him. And this is how a top 40-50m signing can turn into a 70m one.

 

[DonAK]

Yea well, that's why it is key to get the right guys in charge.

And that's easier said than done when Barca is the type of club that's old school and values relationships more than competence. If you're lucky you hit on both like with Txiki, but if not....you end up with Robert Fernandez and Eric Abidal.

 

[Windhook]

Besides, we can do better to get more good talents from the Spanish league.

Yeah, 100%. If current financial powers were in place back in 2010, David Villa would have went to Man City, never ever to have played for FC Barcelona.

 

[Windhook]

And that's easier said than done when Barca is the type of club that's old school and values relationships more than competence. If you're lucky you hit on both like with Txiki, but if not....you end up with Robert Fernandez and Eric Abidal.

Agree. Surrounding yourself, as president, with yesman is not a productive decision.

 

[mc_lovin]

Yea, but it would mean to oversimplify Bayern's model to speak only about that. They have an eye for talent and are super pro about how the club is built and run. It's a mix of things with them.

Besides, we can do better to get more good talents from the Spanish league.

It's obviously always a combination of things, but Bayern would be nowhere near where they are today if Germany didn't collectively decide to be their bitches (couldn't think of a better word). As a German it's absolutely maddening how things are.

 

[DonAK]

I don't think we're in the position to talk about the Man City and PSGs of the World when we're one of the highest spending clubs in the last decade.

Barca have been spending a shitload of money recklessly and wasted most of it, and that's not because of Man City and PSG in most cases. It's because the people in charge the last decade were completely incompetent.

 

[Windhook]

It's obviously always a combination of things, but Bayern would be nowhere near where they are today if Germany didn't collectively decide to be their bitches (couldn't think of a better word). As a German it's absolutely maddening how things are.

Always thought you are Scottish