OPINION: A summer of horror and false hope
Before the transfer window started, all of us fans were convinced that this transfer window was going to be our most important one. We all expected the majority if not all of the fringe players to leave. As well as a few important signings here and there. However, in reality, this has been far from the truth. For me, and I think I speak for most of the fan base here when I say this has been one of the worst transfer windows in the club’s history. Purely in terms of the players we have lost. It has been extremely disappointing.With the situation Bartomeu got us in, maybe we were too naïve to think that things would be better. We all know that the rebuilding process at this club is going to take time. Especially considering how much the previous board damaged the club.
Bad Environment
Laporta inherited a club worse than he ever expected. Making everything very difficult. Throughout the summer, he has been working with 2 hands behind his back. If he was able to actually start building his new project then the first person to go would’ve been Koeman. Leo left and many other tough decisions had to be made. All because of Bartomeu. We can’t
expect Laporta to fix a ruined club like this in a few months. It’s just not going to happen. But, I still believe that we should’ve done more in this transfer window. The fact that Lionel Messi and Griezmann have both left, but Pjanic and Umtiti are still here is disappointing.
We have been able to come to agreements with Pique, Busquets and Alba over salary reductions recently. But why wasn’t this sorted out early in the transfer window. Griezmann leaves the club on deadline day and goes back to Atleti. But again, why couldn’t this of happened earlier on in the transfer window. If that was the case, then Leo Messi would probably still be here. The majority of the deadwood at the club is still here. We haven’t been able to clear them out and that has got to be the most disappointing thing. They’re not willing to leave or reduce their wages in order to go. So now, we are just stuck with them for another season.
The Disappointment
In terms of the transfer window, it’s been very disappointing for us. We were constantly linked with player after player, only for a very reliable journalist to
come out and quickly deny the rumours. I think If I had to sum up this transfer window in a few words, it would be “False Hope”. Maybe it was all self inflicted. The election of Laporta especially gave us a lot of excitement. And there’s no way whatsoever that I blame him for any of this. If the club was handled better beforehand, then we wouldn’t be here right now. But as little as we like to admit it, we are still batting the ghosts of Bartomeu’s presidency.
And it’s going to take a long time for us to recover. Despite the anger and disappointment, we are on a long and steady track to recovery. And although it might not seem we’ve done much this window, in the long run, we will benefit. We’ve all got to be patient!
Thoughts For The Future:
Despite all the negatives we have experienced this summer, We’ve had a few positives. The signing of Memphis, Eric Garcia and the return of Ansu fati to training are the most exciting. Aswell as the introduction of some more la masia gems such as Balde, Nico and Gavi. Stuff like this gives me a lot of excitement and optimism for the future, although right now things seem bleak. If we are going to start a new cycle and enter a brand new era at Barcelona, then let’s do it properly.
All I want to see Is the youth being trusted. Drop the experienced players who aren’t giving us enough like Lenglet, Roberto, Braithwaite etc. And put full faith in the youth. After all, they are the future. They’re going to outlast the older players, so they’re development needs to be prioritised. I don’t think we’d care if we end the season trophy-less, if it means that we get to see the foundations for the future built. We’re all tired of settling for mediocrity.
We have some of the most talented youth talents in world football and they have to be trusted. If they’re given the platform they need to develop and perform, then we are destined for big things. We’d all much rather see some fresh faces learning and building their career at Barça. Instead of seeing the same players fail and under impress again. Start from scratch!
It’s going to be a long, tough road to recovery. But we will be back!
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