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#3 Malcom
Barcelona chiefs squandered a good chunk of the profit from the Neymar sale on players who had to make too big a step up. A good example of their profligacy is their decision to bring in Malcom from Bordeaux for an initial fee of €41 million.
Malcom was in electric form during his stint with Bordeaux but in the unforgiving environment of Barcelona, the young Brazilian struggled to stake a claim for a starting berth. He suffered a miserable debut season at Barcelona and wanted to leave the club owing to a lack of playing time.
Malcom had pulled a U-turn on a move to AS Roma at the very last minute - something that left Monchi fuming after having done everything to put the deal together. The youngster started just six league games for Barcelona under Ernesto Valverde.
It has since been suggested that Ernesto Valverde neither wanted Malcom nor was he informed of the Barcelona board's decision to sign him. Barcelona were able to recoup €40 million by selling Malcom the next summer to Zenit St. Petersburg.
#2 Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele is still a work in progress or that is what Barcelona and their fans would like to believe. Having spent more time in the infirmary than on the football field, the Frenchman has failed to justify his €105 million (+ €40 million in add-ons) price that the Cules had to pay to sign him from Borussia Dortmund.
We have seen glimpses of Ousmane Dembele's talent sporadically but for that kind of money, intermittent success is not the expected payoff. This is Dembele's fourth season at Barcelona and he is yet to have a thoroughly impressive season.
The 23-year-old has already had several run-ins with the club's management over disciplinary issues. The fact that his bones are made of glass doesn't help either.
Dembele has already come close to exiting the club on multiple occasions and just how much of that initial transfer fee Barcelona will be able to recoup remains to be seen. They ought to be happy to cut their losses and take a little more than a half.
#1 Philippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho is not, by any count, a bad player. His signing did not look like a bad decision either at first. Coutinho seemed to be a midfielder cut from the same fabric as some of the best Barcelona midfielders of the modern era.
He was arguably the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League in his last couple of seasons at Liverpool. Liverpool obviously wanted a fortune for their star man and Barcelona were happy to oblige. Barcelona paid Liverpool a sum that reportedly rises to about €145 million.
In a recent poll conducted by Barca Universal, fans from around the world voted Philippe Coutinho the worst big-money signing in recent years.
Coutinho impressed in his initial days before his form fizzled out and he cut a frustrated figure in his first full season at the Camp Nou. The Brazilian was subsequently sent on loan to Bayern Munich where he was quite impressive and won the continental treble with the Bavarians.
Coutinho has returned to Barcelona but he remains a long way away from justifying the price that Barcelona paid to sign him back in January 2018.
