Grading the 7 signings Barcelona made in 2018/19 season

It is safe to say that the 2018/19 season is not one which many Barcelona fans would look back at with fondness. It was a campaign which started out with so much promise but fizzled out and delivered less than what was expected.

Though LaLiga was won, the fact that the club was in the running for a treble into the last few weeks of the campaign means that the season ended with some level of unfulfillment, especially due to the loss against Liverpool in the semifinal of the Champions League.

In light of this, a busy summer is expected at Nou Camp, with some players expected to go while it is also anticipated that the club will sign new players.

In the just-concluded season, Barcelona made seven signings for a total of £116.19m across the summer and winter windows, with all going on to perform at different levels, as some played a part in the campaign while others contributed next to nothing.

In this piece, we shall be grading all seven signings Barcelona made in the 2018/19 season based on their performance during the campaign.

#7 Kevin-Prince Boateng

New Barcelona Signing Kevin-Prince Boateng Unveiled

There were more than a few eyebrows raised in January 2019 when Barcelona made the rather bizarre decision to sign ex-Ghanaian international Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Sassuolo.

The 32-year-old has had a chequered history off the field, with numerous misdemeanors and controversial incidents including clashes with teammates and football authorities, while his combustive personality goes against the calm profile associated with Barcelona players.

Also, he was signed presumably as a backup option to Luis Suarez, but this was rather surprising as his highest goals return throughout his career was when he scored 10 goals from 28 league matches for Las Palmas in the 2016/17 season.

How a man who had scored 10 league goals on just one occasion in his career was believed to be an effective backup striker at one of the biggest clubs in the world was baffling to say the least, but he was given the benefit of the doubt by some section of fans.

However, he did absolutely nothing during his five-month stay at the Nou Camp. He made his debut in the 2-0 away loss to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, failing to take advantage of his opportunity and did not make another appearance in that competition as Barcelona made it all the way to the final.

His LaLiga was unarguably worse, as he started from kickoff in the 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid in February, missing a host of chances before being hauled off after 60 minutes for Luis Suarez. The latter showed him what it means to be a striker with a well-taken goal few minutes after coming on.

The former Milan player did not take to the field in LaLiga again until April, playing the full 90 minutes in the the 0-0 stalemate with Huesca and failed to make it into the squad for the Blaugranas in their next three league matches until the dead rubber fixture against Celta Vigo where Barcelona rested a host of first team players for Liverpool. It came as no surprise that they lost the fixture 2-0.

In the Champions League, Ernesto Valverde did not even bother to include Boateng in any of his side's six knockout matches as Barcelona got eliminated in the semifinals.

Boateng would go down in history as one of the most bizarre signings in the club's illustrious history and it is hard to pin-point any meaningful contribution he made during his time at Camp Nou.

Rating - 0/5

#6 Jeison Murillo

FC Barcelona v Levante - Copa del Rey Round of 16

Having starred in LaLiga over the last two seasons with Valencia, Barcelona made the decision to sign Jeison Murillo on loan in December 2018 with an option to buy him for €25m at the end of the season.

The 27-year-old Colombian international had starred in the past for clubs like Las Palmas and Granada, making a name for himself at the San Siro with Inter Milan who he represented for two seasons between 2015 and 2017, making 61 Serie A appearances. But he failed to break into the Barcelona starting 11 as the pairing of Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique was Valverde's preferred defensive partnership for most of the campaign.

In total, Murillo made four appearances for the Catalans, with two each coming in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey, playing the full 90 minutes of the goalless draw with Huesca in the league while appearing for 22 minutes in the 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo. While in the Copa del Rey, he played the full 90 of both legs in the Round-of-16 clash with Levante.

Rating - 1/5

#5 Jean-Clair Todibo

Todibo agreed to a deal to join Barcelona from Toulouse in the summer of 2019, but the LaLiga giants agreed to fast-track his transfer, paying the Ligue 1 outfit the sum of €900,000 for him to join in January.

In doing so, he became the 22nd French player to represent Barcelona and was handed the number six jersey, making his debut in the 0-0 goalless draw with Huesca and earned high praise for his performance.

In total, Todibo made just two appearances in LaLiga, but considering his relatively young age of 19, it can be inferred that he is a long-term prospect for the Blaugrana.

Rating - 1.5/5

#4 Malcom

Malcom was the subject of one of the most controversial transfers of all time when he arrived at Barcelona for the sum of €41m despite having agreed to a deal with AS Roma. The Italian club even announced his arrival on Twitter and thousands of fans gathered to welcome him at the Rome international airport.

However, on evidence of his displays in his first season in Spain, the fuss was all for nothing, as the Brazilian failed to lay a mark on the Barcelona squad, with Ernesto Valverde showing a distrust in him.

In total, he made just 24 appearances in all competitions for the club with most of those coming off the bench, scoring four goals and assisting twice.

On the few occasions when Malcom did get to play, he showed enough of his abilities and impressed with his connection with his teammates. However, he did not have too many opportunities to make a lasting impression and with rumours emanating that Barcelona are willing to listen to offers from Everton, that could bring a premature end to a forgettable one-year spell at the Nou Camp.

Rating - 2/5

#3 Clement Lenglet

Lenglet displaced Umtiti from the starting lineup

Clement Lenglet was signed from Sevilla in July 2018 for the sum of €35m and everybody expected that he was brought in to act as backup to Gerard Pique and international teammate Samuel Umtiti.

However, the injury sustained by Umtiti at the start of the season offered Lenglet a chance to break into the starting 11 and he impressed significantly such that his more experienced colleague was unable to regain his starting shirt when he returned to full fitness.

Despite being just 23, Lenglet showed a composure at the back, complementing Gerard Pique at the heart of defense and winning admirers for his commendable defending and commitment to the Barcelona cause.

It was, however, not entirely smooth sailing, as the former Nancy man had a baptism of fire on occasion, being exposed twice when Barcelona conceded four -- against Villareal and Liverpool, while also making a number of errors during the course of the season.

However, overall it was a largely impressive performance from Lenglet and he ended his debut season with Barcelona with 45 appearances in all competitions, appearing in all 12 of the club's Champions League matches this season and playing the full 90 minutes in all but the opening match against PSV.

Rating - 3.5/5

#2 Arthur Melo

Ever since Xavi departed Barcelona in 2015, fans of the club had cried out over the need for the replacement of the Barcelona legend.

For almost two decades, the World Cup winner had held it down in the middle of the park, acting as the fulcrum through which Barcelona's play was coordinated, with his precise passing and ball distribution proving integral to the success of tiki taka.

Not many expected much when Barcelona signed a relatively unknown Arthur Melo from Gremio in March of 2018, but his performances in his debut season have ensured that everyone knows who he is.

Having started the season on the fringes, Arthur got his chance when Barcelona found itself in a bit of a rot, with Valverde switching things up and giving the Brazilian international a shot at glory when he started him in the Champions League clash with Tottenham.

The 22-year-old absolutely dazzled with his performance, getting fans the world over to talk about him and proclaiming him as the heir to Xavi.

Those comments got some form of credibility when the man in question himself gave Arthur his seal of approval, with Xavi stating that he was a fan of the Goiania native.

From then on, there was no looking back for Arthur, as he cemented himself in the Barcelona first team, and formed a crucial part of the midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.

He earned widespread praise for his off-the-ball movement and visionary play, with his excellent ball control and close feint dribbling also drawing further comparisons to Xavi, while he also achieved the unbelievable ratio of a 98.6% pass accuracy, completing 71 of 72 passes against Lyon in the Champions League. .

In total, Arthur made 44 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona and while he might not have found the back of the net, his importance to the overall play cannot be underestimated, with his pre-assists being responsible for a number of Barcelona goals.

His performance levels dropped off somewhat during Barcelona's run-in at the end of the season, but that takes nothing away from the splendid debut campaign he had in Catalunya.

Rating - 4/5

#1 Arturo Vidal

Arturo Vidal arrived in Barcelona from Bayern Munich last summer and despite bringing a wealth of experience with him, there were many who doubted the sensibility of the deal. Many even questioned his suitability to Barcelona's style while his troublesome history did not sit well with some fans of the Blaugrana.

However, the Chilean international totally performed above expectations, blowing everyone away with his displays in the midfield.

Despite initially struggling for game-time, the 32-year-old was able to win Valverde over and was one of the strongest performers during Barcelona's run-in to the season.

Vidal offered a different dimension to the Barcelona midfield, with his combativeness and tenacity strengthening an otherwise feeble midfield, while also showing a willingness to contribute to attacks.

His best performance arguably came in the 3-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, where Vidal was absolutely unplayable, not giving the Liverpool players any breathing space and ensuring the ball did not get to their vaunted attack.

The former Bayern Munich and Juventus man started the season with criticism, but at the end of his first season at Camp Nou, there would be few people who would still be unconvinced about Vidal's usefulness to Barcelona.

Rating 4/5