I would make some small signings. Maybe spend 10-15M total on transfers at most. Nothing expensive, whether its free transfers with big wages or transfer fees. Try to reduce the wage bill as much as possible, but you also have to treat players with respect. Your club handed out those contracts. You can't force them to leave, if they don't want. You can make them play with the reserves or try to embarrass them, but if they don't want to leave, nothing you can do about that.
I would not have signed Lewandowski, Kessie, Kounde, Dembele, Raphinha, or Christinsen. Worse case scenario, you are Arsenal level for 3-4 years, while you regain some financial stability, and you build back your squad like Arsenal has. La Liga is not competitive enough after the top 3 that Barcelona would fall too far. It's possible they could've missed the Champions League once or twice with that strategy, but in the end they'd probably make it, and build through a sustainable strategy.
You realize now that Barcelona is on the hook in the future for what they've done this summer. Even if the club becomes one of the best in the best teams in the world again the next few years, we can't be sure that financially it won't be a disaster in five years.
”Like” for the effort and coming to the table with a suggested solution.
I was closer to your line of thinking to a degree as we came out of last season and into the Summer window. I think the club could have spent less as well. I don’t think Kounde was necessary, though I get it in that if you want him the time was now or he’d have been unobtainable next Summer. Additionally, a lot of CBs moving this Summer and not a lot of great options available anymore (I really like Todibo, but not sure the club would ever bring him back based on a rumored locker room issue). I also wouldn’t sign Alonso considering we still have Alba, Abde has looked good in preseason and I think we could/should trust La Masia a bit more. Raphinha is also a bit of luxury, but thus far he looks like a good signing. After that I understand Lewandowski, Dembele, Christiansen, Torre and Kessie. In fact, I‘m not sure why you wouldn’t consider Dembele, Christiansen and Kessie based on your argument. No transfer fees involved and all are on pretty reasonable wages and within the club’s new wage structure. I would say they’re the exact signings we should be making based on your argument.
Personally though I’m now more in alignment with the work the club has done. I think Xavi is being accommodated a bit much with two top players in each position, but then I think we’re also seeing the benefits with the preseason performances. Still we have A LOT of midfielders and too many CBs. Anyway, I‘ve come more to aligning with the work the board has done because there should be additional benefits on top of having a notably stronger team. If the team performs to reasonable expectations they should be more successful on the pitch which should lead to more revenue on a number of fronts. Matchday revenue, television revenue, marketing revenue, etc should all get a boost. Of course this isn’t a given, but thus far things look good.
I also think that you’re not understanding that regardless of the signings the club would have had to have activated some of the economic levers anyway. This isn’t just about covering your signings and indeed the money isn’t even all going there.
With regards to selling players, again, no one is being forced nor can they be forced. That said I think it’s fair game to tell them they’re not in the first team plans and that they won‘t be training with the team/going on tour. I think the club could have done a better job selling players, but it’s hard when some of them refuse to go.
Even if the strategy employed by the current board doesn’t work on the pitch, they’ll still be generating revenue. Worse case scenario would probably be they have to make signings on the level of say an Arsenal as you say, but I don’t think that‘ll happen.
IDK, If I were Pep I'd like to go into the season with other choices at left back than a converted right back and a converted striker.
I don’t disagree, I just assumed that was the plan, but I haven’t followed them that closely.
