In hindsight, Barcelona had a very good transfer window last summer. Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo arrived on cheap loans, Ilkay Gundogan – who joined on a free – has been an exceptional piece of business, and even Inigo Martinez has contributed too. Even the departure of Ousmane Dembele was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed for Lamine Yamal to flourish in the first team.
However, the thing that Barcelona themselves liked so much about last summer was their deals for younger players. Specifically, they signed Noah Darvich and Mikayil Faye, both of whom are rising in prominence at the club – especially the latter, who is set for a promotion to the first team this summer.
🚨 Christensen, De Jong and Pedri will participate in a training match today to see how they are. @martinezferran, @ap_angelperez
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 6, 2024
Following on from this, Sport have reported that Barcelona have now switched their transfer approach going into this summer. Significant investment will be reduced on big-money signings, with the incorporation of older players being heavily avoided. Instead, they will bet on young, up-and-coming prospects, such as Darvich and Faye.
In a way, Barcelona’s financial problems have been a blessing in disguise. It has allowed them to focus more on youth, both from in their own La Masia academy, or those at other clubs’. In the long run, this should be a strategy that allows the Catalan giants to return to their former glory.
2 clasico victories out of 9
660 millions wasted in assets
2 eliminations in EL
1,6 billion debt
Last CL win 2015
Coach carouselle, 4 last coaches resulted in only 3 trophies
2 trophies in last 2,5 seasons
Another 0 season loading
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 🫵🤣
It took a minute to clear the dead wood from the payroll and there’s still some work to do, but the club are on a good track. The current veterans have made a positive impact on the first team youngsters and have no doubt helped accelerate their growth. I’m happy to see that the focus has come back to La Masia by recruiting top young talent to develop within the Barca system. The club will never (and shouldn’t) rely solely on the academy, but there was way too much emphasis on bringing in players from the outside (and paying them exorbitant wages) in the past. Too many of those players just simply didn’t adapt. Players from outside of the system should only be brought in if they promise significant impact; otherwise the club should be relying on the ones that know and understand the way the club plays.