The fate of Gini Wijnaldum recently took a huge turn as, having nearly completed his move to Barça, he is now on the verge of joining PSG. It seems like Ronald Koeman’s dream signing will never come to the club, and I can’t say I’m disappointed.
It would be quite fitting to begin with one of Johan Cruyff’s most iconic quotes: “If you have second thoughts on playing for Barcelona, you are no longer of service to us.” This pretty much sums up the situation. Wijnaldum had already reached a verbal agreement with Barça, but as soon as a more tempting offer arrived, he changed his mind. It shouldn’t matter that someone else has promised double the salary to you; if you genuinely want to play for Barcelona, this is a lame excuse.
The effects of that are pretty obvious to the fans: the young midfielders will get more game time and develop faster, which will surely help us long-term. But it would be interesting to see what conclusions the board draws from Wijnaldum’s transfer saga.
It’s clear that we don’t possess the funds to contend with the biggest teams in Europe. That should logically make us spend wisely, on players with low wages and transfer fees. However, I’m afraid that this whole affair will only force Joan Laporta into rushed decisions, in order to avoid the same occurrence. That could have big implications on our recruitments. This mainly applies to Memphis Depay but also other transfer targets, the suitability of which is not a given.
Will we miss him?
I have already expressed my opinion on the Wijnaldum deal. I’m not in favour of it, and I’m indeed quite happy that he has changed his mind. Nevertheless, what’s even more important is for the club to figure out a way to fulfill their general transfer plans wisely, without the richer sides getting in their way.
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