Grades for Barcelona's Transfer Window | What Went Right and What Went Wrong
The summer transfer window is officially closed, and the dust has settled on all of Barcelona's deals. Deco managed to bring in some big names, offload major money, and move around pieces around the edges. It's time to grade each and every move of the transfer window. 0:00 Big Numbers 1:57 Transfers In 7:58 Transfers Out 17:29 Other Money 20:35 Femení Summer 🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen. 💬 Comment with your favorite goal from the match and a nickname for podcast supporters 🔔 Subscribe for more Barcelona breakdowns every matchday Listen to the full podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast ... 📲 Join the BigUp Watchalongs every matchday + play our free fantasy lineup game! 🔵🔴 Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Patreon for ad-free episodes. BlueWireVideo
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Barcelona's transfer window is officially closed. Well, it has been for a few days, but it took me a little bit of time to go over all the different ins and outs because it's time to give out some grades. There's some big numbers though and more complicated stuff than just who is in, who's out, do I like that player, do I not like that player? Because it does come down as well to the financial part of this and what it does for Barcelona to set themselves up for the next few seasons. Barca spent €174 million in fixed transfer fees and brought in € 104 million in income. But at the same time, this is a club that has just announced more than a billion in revenue for the first time in its history. And looking at next summer when they're back out of the camp knows that a roof from getting sold and likely back out of the one business this summer had to be shrewd and had to be good. And with all the movement this summer, there is another big number that jumps out to me, and that is the fact that this is now the youngest team in La Liga this season at 24.4 years old. Again, that makes them the youngest team in La Liga alongside new clubs in racing, Santandere, Mulliga, Depertiva, Lacarunia, and then Sevilla. They have spent money, but they've also gotten younger. They bought established veterans. They got rid of established veterans. They bought young players. They got rid of young players. And the real question is as we go throughout this season, did they get rid of and did they bring in the right ones in both those categories? Welcome to episode 849 of the Barca podcast brought to you by the Blue Wire Podcast Network. I am Dan Hilton and thank you so much to everybody that's become new patrons. I've got some Patreon exclusive content over there as low as $3. A big help for me to continue to do this as well. Subscribe to the YouTube channel, podcast apps, all that good stuff, merch store. You know where to find me on social media. So now, let's dive in. We go move by move. Here are those grades. And this is on a sliding scale of out of 10. Usually I do letter grades, but I'm making it easy this time. This is all out of 10. They'll give a big number at the very end. Now, I could have gone in chronological order for these, but now I'm going to start with some of the exciting ones. We're going to work our way back down. We'll say the depth chart. And we begin, of course, then up top with Anthony Gordon. Rodriwood is going to be the other pick here, but let's start with Anthony Gordon. He came from Newcastle on 70 mil plus 10 mil and all of these numbers are in euros. Just want to throw that out there. The grade for Anthony Gordon, this move is a nine out of 10 for me. He's a perfect player for Hanzi Flick system and he can play across the front three if necessary. And this deal as the weeks went on after it was done because it had been finished before the World Cup when he became a starter and got all the way to the semifinal. With England, this would have likely even weeks later been much more. and you're looking at comparable players that were sold after the World Cup when they didn't feature as much in the World Cup. This is already looking like very good business. Rodri, that is another big name from the Prem from Man City, 60 mil plus 16.5 mil. I also give this a 9 out of 10, but the Anthony Gordon is more of a 9.5 out of 10. And I think Rodri might be more of an 8.5 out of 10 for me. And the reason is both considered nine out of 10, but the reason is his reported salary, that being Rodri, makes him the highest paid in the team. And he is a 30-year-old with an ACL injury on his resume. So that's what keeps this from being a 10 of 10 to be honest with you. But the fact that he might just have been the best player, Ballindor, and all that stuff to move this off season for any team, that's awesome. The Barcelona might have got the number one pick in terms of offseason player movement. Another caveat here is if Barcelona win a Champions League, then obviously they're going to pay more for him. But if he is in the midfield for them to win the Champions League, change this to a 10 of 10 because he's going to more than make up for that around 17 mil extra that he'll be getting for all those incentives. And as far as the health part of it, he wasn't signed to play 60 games. We know that if it was 8 years ago, sure. But no, he was signed to play about 20 very, very, very important games. And if he does show out in those games, then yes, he will certainly be worth his price in gold. Next up is Kareem Adigi from Brucia Dortmund. It's 22 million plus 7 mil plus a sell-on fee for him as well. Eight of 10 for this one. And I know that feels high, but we're judging his position in the team. Gordon didn't replace Rashford just because they're both Englishmen as far as their spot in the squad. Gordon didn't replace Rashford. Admy did. He's a versatile, speedy attacker that will press like Flick once and can score goals, too. And he wasn't a regular starter in Germany. So, it'll be similar in Catalonia with him being the fourth attacker for Hanzi Flick's side. And, you know, it seems like with both player and manager and even the number, the salary, all that stuff, that all seems to work perfectly. Only reason it's an 8 out of 10 and not higher is that maybe with that 22 mil, you'd hope you get a slightly more consistent player. But as I've talked about in very recent weeks and months, buying goals and buying consistent goals is really difficult. To Gabrielle Jesus from Arsenal, it's 10 mil plus add-ons. I give this one a 7 out of 10 because probably would have been higher, but based on my recent conversation with Elliot. Please check out that podcast, the last one that I did earlier this week. I am trying to be optimistic. He is the fifth attacker with tons of trophies who presses at an elite level even post ACL injury and under the age of 30. So, I'm not too negative. I'm negative if he's going to be an outand-out starter, but that's not what he was signed to do. He was signed to be the fifth attacker. I think there are four other players that start over him in each of the positions up top. Let's say up top I get a little bit younger. Here's Jesse Biw. His deal was 8 mil plus a sellon. And I might be jumping the gun here, but I'm going to give this one an eight out of 10 as well. Because while he had not played first team football because club ruga knew they were losing him, he has at least in preseason already shown flashes that indicate that he's going to be a really fun player for Barcelona. He may be, this is now jumping ahead too far, but he may be worth 30 mil in a year or so. So that's good business to grab him now. a scary tackle on his ankle with bars athletic will hopefully be the only bad news of the season for him as he'll likely be on the sideline now for the coming weeks. But when he gets fit and especially when Koba del Re and all that stuff begins in January, let's see how many first team minutes he gets being that he is and it seems like because he's around the first team, he's already along with Hamza Abarim been registered for the Champions League. So he could get some minutes if Barcelona can close out their league phase nice and early. So, let's see how many minutes he gets as to my judgment. I think he's the seventh attacker on the depth chart. I just mentioned his name, so let's actually talk about the deal. It's Hamd Al Karim from Al Ali in Egypt for 1.5 mil plus add-ons plus a sell-on fee. I give this one a 9 out of 10. And yes, I know this one was done in January, but that was a loan and the fee was now paid. So, it does count for the summertime. Number nines are really hard to find. That's why I'm giving this a nine out of 10 because it feels like at least early on like Barcelona got one right before he broke out and that is a terrific piece of business even if he can't stick around in Catalonia. There are definitely things that we know that he can work on, but I love how different of a profile he is from all the other attackers Barcelona has right now and the fact that he already went to a World Cup being just 18 years old, that is not a bad thing in any way. I really do like this deal even if it isn't for the long term. Barcelona has now found their way into an asset for 1.5 mil plus add-ons. Finally rounding out the new names for the men's first team, it's Dominic Lakovic for 2.2 mil plus 2 mil from Fenerbachce. He just been on loan to Indigreb. But to get a backup goalkeeper for 2 mil plus 2 mil, that is a 9 out of 10. It's a great market opportunity to upgrade the backup keeper spot, which we saw early on. Tech not getting any younger cannot play the same way in that high line to protect Barcelona. So to have a new backup goalkeeper and to get that deal already done before you're looking for one in January or next summer. Yeah, really good bins for Barcelona. So those are the ins. Now let's talk about the outs. And these were a lot more difficult to grade to be honest with you because it's a lot about seeing what's going to happen 6 months from now with these. I I know it feels the same way with the guys coming in, but immediately you see how they're going to fit in Hanzi Flick system and yeah, whether or not they succeed or not will determine those grades, but I'm just talking about business and hypothetically what they were supposed to bring. But when they leave Barcelona, it does take a little bit of time to know if these are good moves or not. So, I would guess whether in the comments or on social media or on Patreon, the arguments for me are probably going to be more here in the outros than the intros. And let's begin those outros with Robert Leandowski who ended his contract and more importantly the salary is off the books which is why I do give this a seven out of 10. Getting his contract off the books was essential to returning to the 1 to1 which Barcelona has done. Yes, I think as a player he still had more to give and we're seeing it now in MLS and the Chicago Fire, but it was the right time for him to leave Barcelona and a bit unfair to Robert Leandowski leaving. I'm penalizing the score and only giving the seven out of 10 a little bit because he or at least that number nine guy. I did talk about Hamza, sure, but he wasn't truly replaced. And that player of course is a target man against lowb blocks who can score with just a little bit of space was always going to be difficult to replace his quality. But the fact that they didn't really bring anybody else in up top with experience like that who can do the job he does feels like a bit of a hole for Barcelona. Let's stay up top. Benon Torres to PSC for 50 mil. Now, this one I'm giving eight out of 10. And again, you feel like, well, why are you not penalizing this one for the replacement of those goals and the replacement of a center forward? You could also argue that the number should have been higher for a player that just won a World Cup having scored the game-winning goal. But let me answer this in two parts. First, with the money part of it, apparently that number 50 wasn't 55 or higher because at 55, it would have triggered money to Man City. So, I guess I can't be upset about the 50. if they had offered any more, they basically would have been paying for a deal to ship a player out. And the other part of it, you know, based on the players that came in, Barca may be able to replace his production and they do get some funds in return for a player that was looking for a way out. And this isn't about his comments either. I know we had a lot to say recently about PSG being a step up for him from Barcelona, but just from a pure sporting perspective, there are a bunch of players now who can do what Torres did last season for the team in a way that I don't think you could have that argument about Leandowski. Next up, Marcus Rashford returned to Manchester United at the end of his loan. I have to give an eight of 10 for Barcelona not returning to the well for Rashford. Nothing personal. I think I liked him just enough, the team liked him just enough, but he was never really a great fit with Hanzi Flick. And those wages without a huge reduction just wouldn't have fit into the salary structure. And you could see bring in at a yummy at a lower number. You could see what bringing in Gordon even at the number he was to be a consmate starter. That is certainly an upgrade if you're going to compare Gordon to Rashford. So that's why I think it was the right move to not bring Rashford back. A reminder that the window did kick off with an early deal. An onsuati to Monaco officially for 11 million plus a sell-on. Seven of 10 on this one. Good job getting a sell on fee in there. And I did have to give up on the Ansuati at Barcelona dream. But I will never totally give up on Ansuati. Everybody who's been with me since his debut knows that. Nolanu, even at 23, he's not who he could have been for Barcelona, but he could be a really good player around Europe with potentially in a year or two a nice little sell- on fee for Barcelona. Now, time for my shocker. It's Tommy Marquez to Braa for 11 mil plus 1 mil plus a sellon plus a buyback. This is my first and only and yeah, spoiler alert, only 10 of 10 for my grades. He's played less than 150 first team minutes and Barcelona sold him for 11 mil with a sell-on fee and a buyback. I know it's not a crazy amount, but it might just be the best business of the offseason in terms of exits, quality of player, all that good stuff. And how it can set up Barcelona with this deal and the player for his future. Hector for three dad for 8 mil plus a sell on plus a buyback. 7 out of 10 for this one. I thought Hector Fort was a 10 plus million euro man. The Dortmund link was very real and if he had succeeded at Dortmund, the sell-on fee and probably transfer fee would have been much higher and based on the financial security of the teams in Spain, it would certainly be a much lesser fee for him to move on if he were to succeed every associate dad. I know it feels like he's been around forever, but he is still very young. So that number is lower because they're paying for potential. But for Hector, yeah, I wish that this kind of broached that 10 million euro numbers to Ajax 5.5 mil with a sell on and a buyback. Eight out of 10 on this one because coming off an injury. Maybe the team could have got a bit more for him, but his position was way too crowded. I think other teams knew that. And a sale works better than a loan here. Jordi Pascal was already knocking on the door, and I still think DO has a ton of talent and potential. So to keep that sell on and the buyback for him that works for me. Tony Fernandez to Venezia for 4 mil plus a sell on plus a buyback. Eight of 10. I like this one. It could go up in flames in like two weeks if he doesn't get incorporated quickly and he's constantly on the bench in a side that's probably going to get relegated from Sir A this season, but the buyback for him is the key. Barcelona could even buy him back and then sell him on or loan him to another team next season if does get relegated as expected. And so looking at the sell on and the buyback, those had to be in there for his future and that's why the transfer fee wasn't higher. So to take 4 mil for a player that has never really been incorporated for very long in the first scene of Barcelona, that works for me. Alvaro Cortez to Royal Antver 3 plus a sellon plus a buyback. Six out of 10 for this one. And I know it feels low. I think that might have been the lowest grade I've given. I've kind of had I don't know meandering day between seven, eight, nine. The same as Tony Fernandez. I will say with the buyback and the transfer fee that applies to Cortez, but his sale gets docked because it now seems reckless with no other center back depth. So this is where that grade, it had to come somewhere. But the grade for Barcelona of not having signed another left footed center back and getting rid of Cortez, that's where this six of 10 could even be lower. Guandez to Morocco for 2.2 mil plus a sellon plus a buyback. eight of 10 for this one too because like his cousin Tony, I'm really at peace with this deal. I like the player. I see his future of Barcelona and I think the club might still too. He's 18 and will hopefully get regular minutes now in the Saguna division at Morca, which is much more his level right now in development than either the fourth division or even leaving Spain. I like the fact that he stayed in Spain. As I said, I'm still very high on him. I think Barcely affected that low transfer fee. Not that any team in Spain can really afford much more than that. Inakipa to Penaththeanos for 3 million. Yep. For you Greeks out there, please let me know in the comments. Seven of 10. He may be in his prime, but he was the third choice goalkeeper. And that's unfortunately what the rate is. 3-0 there. Pretty good though if you consider that Barcelona basically upgraded his spot to the backup for less on a base fee for Liovit. So to do Pena for 3 mil, yeah, it's actually a pretty good piece of business. Ronald Rajo to Liverpool on loan with a 55 million euro buy option. This gets a nine out of 10. The fact that Ajo found a home in a league that may suit him better than La Liga. That could lead to this buy option and this being a tremendous piece of business for Barcelona. On top of that, Liverpool is also doing the heavy lifting by paying his salary with the loan, which is also really helpful for Barca. I'm hoping this works out for all parties, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Ronaldo. Almost done with the exits. Mark Andre Terstean on loan to Ajax. This one gets a five out of 10, which I believe is the worst of all the grades I gave. And the length of this negotiation due to the bureaucratic stuff. That was annoying. That's part of the grade. It almost didn't happen at all. That would have been a huge part of the grade, too. Barcelona are still covering a ton of his salary, but at least he is playing football and not sitting there competing for the gloves at Barcelona. So, I'm probably being a bit too harsh because no team was taking that salary. But boy, this could have worked out much better in many different worlds. Let's wrap it up with Mark Casido on loan to Deportivo Lacarunia with a 30 million euro buy option. Now I just said that Cortez was my lowest. I lied. Seek I li again. Four out of 10 for the Marcaso deal because he's really going to have to play well for any team in the Liga. Even a financially sound one like the Portivo Lacarunia who were just promoted. They're good financial standing but for them to pay 30 million euro buy option I just don't see that happening. I will remind you that if that was a transfer fee that they actually had paid, not just a buy option, it would have been the most expensive non- big three transfer fee in the Liga this summer by more than double the next guy Bernol to Real Betis. But both the club and player were at an impass and there's little you can do after that. I think he was hurt and he kind of said so. I think he was hurt about being pushed out. The club wanted him to be used to make some money. He didn't want that. Now, he'll likely return with one year left on his deal, and Barcelona will have lost leverage, even if he goes and balls out this season. I do have to dock points, too, for what is coming off as a breakdown in the internal communications and the feelings managing of the club. It just didn't work out. Some kind of communication breakdown along the way, his agent, player, all that kind of stuff. So, I'm giving a four out of 10 for this one. And finally, finally, the sellon and the right sales. So yeah, it's kind of like little moves there that happened in the past where they get the money now. So I'm giving a nine out of 10 for all of these. This group is based on deals that were made in the p