Time has not been kind to FC Barcelona, and it does not take much effort to see it. The Catalan club is a shell of their former glorious self, especially when it comes to its financial capabilities. Years of mishandling resources have finally got to Barcelona in the worst possible way.
While it is true that the club is still able to stay afloat thanks to its youth academy and subsidiary, which continue to produce record-breakers like Lamine Yamal, it is equally true that Barça can not afford the most expensive of targets currently available in the market.
Even the quest for Nico Williams may force them to get a new loan in order to meet the demands of his operation. Unfortunately, it is not only the media that think Barça’s transfer efforts in recent seasons have been underwhelming, but rather a former coach himself seems to think so too.
As highlighted by SPORT, the head coach of the Dutch National team and former Barcelona coach and icon, Ronald Koeman, recently made some public statements about Barça’s management while addressing their lack of star signings and how it makes them look inferior to Real Madrid:
“I think in many aspects, Madrid is superior to Barça. The team they have is for the future and I know Barça has very good young people, Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Gavi. Great players but Barça needs people like Mbappé, who make differences in every way.”
Furthermore, Koeman went on to say that Barcelona gem Lamine Yamal should not be compared to Lionel Messi as a new replacement for star power:
“…If you don’t have these types of players, Messi… it’s not good to compare Lamine with Messi. At his age, what he does is impressive, but time and tranquility are needed. There’s only one Messi in the world, we won’t see something like that in the future.”
It is normal for Koeman to always have something to say, but his recent words are something he seems to believe in. However, it is equally important for the Dutch coach to look at the truth of Barça’s current economy.
The reality is that it is close to impossible for Barcelona to pursue signings that require a kind of sacrifice that only the most financially capable clubs can currently make. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they have not recovered enough to be among such clubs just yet.
