FC Barcelona are among the elite clubs in Europe, and they’ve enjoyed more than their fair share of exceptional talents from all corners of the world.
Barcelona have made some of the very best signings in recent years in the likes of Rivaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Henry, and Johan Cruyff. However, not all of their signings have performed to their potential and have certainly let the Barcelona fan base down.
The 4th Official lists out three of Barcelona’s worst signings since the turn of the century.
Philippe Coutinho
One of the Catalan club’s biggest money signings in recent years, Coutinho was hugely disappointing during his 18-month tenure at the Camp Nou. The Brazilian attacker arrived from Liverpool in a deal in excess of €140 million and failed to get things going for himself on his return to the Spanish Primera Division.
The player was widely criticised by the Camp Nou faithful for not being able to justify his price tag week-in week-out. After a torturous 18 months in Spain, the player has been loaned out to FC Bayern Munich until June 2021.
Arda Turan
Arda Turan joined the Cules after delivering consistent performances with Atletico Madrid. The player arrived in the beach city of Barcelona in the summer of 2015 on a €34 million transfer fee. Things were horrible for the Turkish midfielder from the very moment he arrived.
Barcelona were undergoing a transfer embargo, and it did not allow Turan to have any involvement for the Spanish side until the turn of the year. The player was bought in to replace an ageing Andreas Iniesta, but in reality, Iniesta who was supposed to be on a decline outperformed Turan.
The former Atletico Madrid player is now playing with Istanbul Basaksehir on loan from Barcelona. It’s highly unlikely that Turan would make a return to the Camp Nou.
Andre Gomes
Barcelona turned their eyes elsewhere in search of a replacement for Iniesta and ended up buying Andre Gomes from Valencia in 2016. The player was a shadow of himself in the Barcelona shirt and was not given enough opportunities to prove himself at the big stage.
The player was voted as the ‘Worst Signing of the Season’ by readers of Spanish daily, Marca. Following his two year stint with Barcelona, Gomes was loaned out to Everton. Gomes underwent a dramatic transformation in the Premier League and was recently rewarded with a permanent move to Goodison Park.
Honourable Mentions
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Alex Song
Dmytro Chygrynskiy
