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Barcelona have been one of the worst-performing clubs in the transfer market over the past decade. However, Camp Nou has played host to some of the greatest players in the modern era, including the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Ronaldinho.
The incredible talent nurtured at La Masia academy has papered over the cracks in the past, but Barcelona’s incompetencies in transfer dealings have now come to the fore. The former administration drove the club into massive debt through exorbitant spending on wages and transfer fees.
On that note, here's a look at the five most notable Barcelona panic buys over the years.
#5 Francisco Trincao
Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao was one of Barcelona’s most recent panic buys as the club splurged on the forward after losing Luis Suarez in the same transfer window.
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The Blaugrana have consistently overspent on attacking talent in the past few years, paying well over market value for the likes of Trincao, Ousmane Dembele and Malcom. Like in the case of Neymar, Barcelona took no time to assess the situation following Suarez’s departure, and went on to complete the hasty signing of Trincao on a £27.9 million deal.
The Portuguese largely featured in a substitute role during his debut season at the club, with 25 of his 28 La Liga appearances coming from the bench. Trincao was recently sent out on loan to Premier League outfit Wolves at the beginning of the 2021-22 season.
#4 Malcom
Under the presidency of Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona were extremely trigger-happy when splashing their cash.
The signing of Malcom is a prime example of that, as Bartomeu signed the Brazilian on a €41 million transfer in the summer of 2018. He went against the wishes of then-manager Ernesto Valverde, who was keen on signing Willian from Chelsea.
Bartomeu could have saved the money had he opted to sign the former Blues winger, but he chose to spend the cash on a big-money move for Malcom to indulge the Blaugrana faithful. The Brazilian was all set to make the trip to Rome as AS Roma fans waited outside the airport to greet their latest arrival.
However, the Barcelona administration had other ideas, as they swooped in at the last minute to sign the Brazilian player on a five-year deal. He would make only 24 appearances during his season-long stay at Camp Nou, though.
#3 Paulinho
After failing to land their primary target, Philippe Coutinho, in the 2017 summer transfer window, Barcelona indulged in the panic buy of Spurs flop Paulinho.
The Brazilian’s signing was intended to be a stop-gap solution before Coutinho’s impending move from Anfield. In such a scenario, a loan move would have been the most ideal option, but Barcelona instead chose to sign the Brazilian on a £36 million deal.
Paulinho soon established himself as one of the first names in Barcelona’s team-sheet, racking up 49 appearances in his season-long stay at the club. The midfielder showcased some of his best football in the 2017-18 La Liga season, registering a direct involvement in 12 goals (nine goals, three assists).
Paulinho played a key role in Barcelona’s domestic double that season, and functioned as the ideal box-to-box midfielder. Despite a stellar debut season at Camp Nou, Paulinho was allowed to leave on a six-month loan spell leading up to the 2018-19 season. He was permanently sold to his former club Guangzhou FC in the winter transfer window.
#2 Martin Braithwaite
Barcelona were required to take special permission from La Liga authorities to complete the post-deadline day signing of Martin Braithwaite.
Despite losing their premier defensive pairing to season-long injuries last term, Liverpool were massively reluctant to splurge on a new defender. Barcelona, however, showed no such reluctance when Ousmane Dembele was restricted to the sidelines in the 2019-20 season.
Martin Braithwaite made the move to the Camp Nou on a £16.2 million transfer from Leganes in February 2020. The Denmark international has failed to make any real impact at the club, featuring mainly as a substitute following Dembele’s return from injury.
In the 2020-21 La Liga season, Braithwaite made 29 appearances - 18 of which were from the bench. Even though he has been impressive in his limited playing time, the 30-year-old was never afforded a real opportunity to earn his place in Barcelona’s XI.
According to recent reports, the Blaugrana are now looking to offload Braithwaite to ease some of their financial burdens. West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur are among the most interested clubs for the player.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
Almost all of Barcelona’s transfers post-Neymar have been panic buys, as the club have struggled to replace the Brazilian superstar till date.
The now-29-year-old departed for PSG in the summer of 2017 in a move that shocked the footballing world and the Barcelona administration as well. Ousmane Dembele was immediately enlisted as the direct replacement for Neymar, and the youngster made the move to Barcelona just three weeks later on a staggering £121.5 million transfer fee.
While Dembele was regarded as one of the most exciting talents in European football at the time, the Blaugrana grossly overpaid for the Frenchman. The young winger’s transfer fee constituted more than half the world-record fee received by the club for Neymar.
To add more context, transfermarkt estimated Dembele’s market value at the time of his Barcelona transfer to be less than £30 million. However, the Frenchman has shown glimpses of his immense talent, and is likely bound to get better with time.
