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Cash-strapped Barcelona are currently undergoing a transitional phase, all thanks to the mindless business they have conducted in the past few seasons. The once-mighty Catalans have fallen drastically from their position at the top and are literally duking it out in the mid-table of the Spanish top-flight. Despite being footballing royalties, Barcelona's current squad is considered to be one of the weakest among the other European elites.
Barcelona and their appalling transfers
The 26-time La Liga champions' exorbitant spending is common knowledge now. Their acquisitions of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann for a combined total of around €400 million has been criticized over and over now. However, the fact that Barcelona periodically spend more than a dime on sub-par players like Paulinho and Luuk de Jong is also one of the reasons behind their downfall.
Furthermore, the Blaugrana have developed a crippling habit of letting invaluable homegrown talent leave without truly giving them a chance. Marc Cucurella, Juan Miranda and Monchu are some of the casualties of the said phenomenon. Even former Barca B captain Alex Collado is currently wasting precious time on the sidelines, with the club failing to register him this season.
While La Masia graduates like Nico Gonzalez and Gavi are steadily making a name for themselves, it has more to do with Barcelona's current inability to buy proven players. Even so, gems like Riqui Puig and the aforementioned Collado continue to suffer due to the already-bloated squad.
Evidently, the Catalan giants are in dire need of a significant change in their personnel. On that note, let's take a look at five players that Barcelona should sell in 2022:
#5 Ousmane Dembele
Signed up for a mind-boggling fee of €135 million, Ousmane Dembele hasn't even come close to repaying the money that Barcelona have invested in him. The once-promising youngster was supposed to be Neymar's like-for-like replacement. However, Dembele has produced absolutely nothing in common with the Brazilian superstar.
Currently recovering from the 12th major injury of his Barcelona career, the France international is yet to make a worthwhile contribution at Camp Nou. While he did display flashes of brilliance last term in what was his first full season with the Blaugrana, his overall performance left much to be desired.
Following the combined departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona experienced a major reshuffling in their squad numbers. Dembele's designated number was also updated from 11 to 7. However, with stalled contract negotiations and his constantly depreciating market value, the Frenchman might not have much time to get accustomed to his new shirt number.
#4 Clement Lenglet
At Sevilla, Clement Lenglet was viewed as a decent centre-back with the potential to become truly world-class in the future. His €35.9 million switch to Catalonia in 2018 all but guaranteed his development, with Barcelona also looking for an adequate defensive cover for the injured Samuel Umtiti.
Everything looked perfect on paper as Lenglet went on to enjoy a fruitful debut campaign. However, the Frenchman has never been the same since the infamous 8-2 demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich in 2020. Lenglet followed that humiliation with a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, where the 26-year-old defender conceded an appalling four penalties.
Lenglet has been demoted to the bench ever since his form hit a roadblock, with Ronald Araujo, Oscar Mingueza and now Eric Garcia higher than him in the pecking order. Reportedly, Everton and Roma were interested in acquiring the centre-back's services this summer, but nothing materialized. If Lenglet continues to underwhelm in the ongoing season, Barcelona would be wise to cash in on the Frenchman come 2022.
Also read: 5 most underpaid Barcelona players right now
#3 Sergi Roberto
Currently serving as Barcelona's third-captain, Sergi Roberto has received widespread backlash from fans in recent times due to his lackluster performances. Roberto has been accused of bringing down the pace of Barcelona's build-up play because of his delayed reactions and inability to create anything substantial from the midfield position.
Known for his pace and passing abilities in the past, Roberto has experienced a steep decline. The versatile player now looks a shadow of his former self, with his extended stay at the club coming due to his history with La Masia. Interestingly, Roberto is the only remaining captain yet to take a wage cut to aid Barcelona financially.
The Blaugrana were reportedly looking to offload him earlier this summer but failed due to a lack of interest in the Spaniard. Apparently, no club was willing to match Barcelona's asking price of €20 million. With just one year remaining on his current contract, the club's priority is to tie him up on a short-term deal and make any kind of profit on Roberto as soon as possible.
#2 Martin Braithwaite
On February 20, 2020, Barcelona announced the emergency signing of Martin Braithwaite, in compliance with a special La Liga regulation, for an incomprehensible fee of €18 million. While the transfer was scrutinized by Culers all across the globe, it was expected to be a short-term fix, similar to Barcelona's weird loan moves of the past.
One-and-a-half years later, Braithwaite is still at Camp Nou, having played 56 games for the club. He had even inherited Luis Suarez's fabled No.9 shirt post the Uruguayan's departure, keeping it for one season until Memphis Depay's recent arrival. And just like that, Braithwaite has cemented his position as one of the regular starters at Barcelona.
Despite his playing level being blatantly sub-par in relation to what the club needs right now, the 30-year-old Danish forward continues to get consistent game time. With Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay on their books, Barcelona should prioritize the sale of Braithwaite as soon as the next transfer window opens.
#1 Samuel Umtiti
Comfortably occupying first place is none other than French outcast Samuel Umtiti. A World Cup winner with his national side in 2018, Umtiti currently has a depleted market value of just €8 million. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old defender, he has transitioned from being a world-class centre-half to a serial bench warmer at Barcelona.
Bought from Olympique Lyon in 2016 for a reasonable fee of €25 million, Umtiti quickly established a formidable partnership with Gerard Pique at the back. He has enjoyed multiple seasons at the top level, consistently turning in impressive performances before his eventual fallout.
Constant fitness issues have severely hampered his promising career, with no team interested in signing the Frenchman. However, Umtiti pockets a colossal €245,000 paycheck on a weekly basis at Barcelona, almost single-handedly deranging the club's finances.
With the Blaugrana showing no signs of incorporating him into the first-team ever again, it would be best for both parties if Umtiti is sold as soon as possible.
Also read: 5 most overpaid Barcelona players right now
