4 and a half years after the departure of Neymar and the end of the MSN era, FC Barcelona has never managed to find successors to its famous trio over time. Worse still, he spent lavishly for a lot of failures in the end.
Messi-Suarez-Neymar, the fantastic three appear as the last symbol of a triumphant Barça on the roof of Europe. Together, the attackers managed to win the Champions League in 2015 against Juventus. This famous trio, which at the time struggled with Real Madrid’s infamous BBC, came to an end in the summer of 2017 when Neymar took flight to PSG. The Brazilian aspired to become the leader of a team and no longer to be in the shadow of his friend Leo Messi.
The departure of Neymar hurt the Culés very badly. Since then, they have never found the peaks. The fault in particular of the bad choice of players to replace the former Santos. Caught off guard and surprised by the Brazilian’s transfer intentions, the management did not know how to use the 220 M€ recovered wisely. She multiplied the failures, while spending lavishly. brand even drew up a dark summary of all the players purchased to succeed the famous MSN.
Dembele and Coutinho symbolize Barça’s failures
In all, €552 million was spent for a frankly moribund result. From 2017, the case went wrong. Barça had not anticipated the transfer and had to rush to find flashy replacements. The idea of integrating Ousmane Dembélé (€140m) and Philippe Coutinho (€135m) into the collective had something to seduce but it is clear that it was a fiasco. Worse still, the Frenchman will go free this summer, while the former Liverpool resident has returned to England where his loan to Aston Villa has gone off the rails.
That same season, Barça activated a buyout clause for Gerard Deulofeu of €12m. The player trained at La Masia went on loan the following winter… With these three recruits, 287 M€ have already been spent… The following season will be less expensive, but this time it’s the purchase of Malcom in Bordeaux for 41 M€ which is pinned. The winger was then on his way to Roma when the Blaugrana contacted him. He left a year later for an almost similar amount to Zenith. That same summer, Kevin-Prince Boateng came to make the number, in the form of a loan.
552 M€ spent in 4 and a half years just for attackers
And what about the 2019 summer transfer window. Recruited for € 120 million after having failed a year earlier, Antoine Griezmann never really integrated. Here he is returned in the form of a loan with an option to buy at Atlético de Madrid two years later. Martin Braithwaite, bought for 18 M€, is still there but he is not a player worthy of the standing of FC Barcelona. In 2020, the Blaugranas anticipated by skipping the release clause of Francisco Trincão, then in Braga, for 31 M€. On paper, there was something to be seduced but the Portuguese, also a victim of poor overall results, did not impose himself. He went on loan the following summer to Wolverhampton.
At the same time, it’s Luis Suarez’s turn to pack his bags. And fast too. In the grip of big financial worries, the Uruguayan is asked to leave in order to save his salary. Atlético sniffed out the bargain and would be crowned champions in the striker’s first season. At the end of the contract and without the possibility of extending, Leo Messi is also leaving his forever club. MSN is already a distant memory. Depay arrives free of any contract, while Barça offers Ferran Torres for 55 M€, in addition to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (free) and Adama Traoré (on loan). It is still too early to say if these last named will finally be able to restore the letters of nobility to the Catalans. But 4 and a half years later and 552 M€ spent, it would be good not to be wrong anymore…
