Top 10 Worst Barcelona Transfer Signings Of All Time

Barcelona may have sign several excellent players over the summer, but in recent years, the club has come to be associated with terrible transfer.

Barcelona seems to be regaining its footing.

The Catalans have had a solid start to the new season signing players like Robert Lewandowski after club president Joan Laporta feverishly manipulated economic levers left, right, and center this summer to finance summer signings.

READ ALSO: Premier League Latest Transfers 2022-2023: All Ins And Outs [Full List]

However, Barca only came to be in a terrible financial situation as a result of the previous administration’s careless spending. In fact, under Laporta’s predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, who left the club on the verge of bankruptcy, the Blaugrana became synonymous with terrible agreements.

Of course, the Camp Nou crisis has not yet been resolved. Their chances of winning the Champions League haven’t exactly improved. However, there is hope that the era of hilariously poor transfers is now behind them.

Having said that, Barca will actually face one of their worst-ever acquisitions this weekend when they travel to the Estadio Metropolitano to play Atletico Madrid. Atletico Madrid may be boosted by the return of Antoine Griezmann following his heroics for France at the 2022 World Cup.

Griezmann proved in Qatar that he is superb footballer when confident and used correctly, which obviously never happened at Camp Nou.

What went wrong? Find out below as THEEAGLE runs through the worst transfer signings in Barca’s history…

#10. Nelson Semedo

The only positive aspect of Nelson Semedo’s time at Barcelona is that the team was able to recuperate every penny they spent on him.

Semedo, a Portuguese full-back who rose to fame at Benfica as an attacking full-back, was seen as a long-term replacement for Dani Alves.

In fact, Barca agreed to pay an initial sum of €30m (£27.5m/$30m) and a potential sum of €5m (£4.4m/$5m) in add-ons for his services.

However, Semedo’s complete lack of defensive ability made him a burden during his tenure at Camp Nou, culminating in his humiliation by Alphonso Davies in Barca’s dramatic 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the 2019–20 Champions League quarterfinals.

Leaving aside the Portuguese connection, it is still unclear why Wolves felt obligated to remove Semedo from Barcelona’s control in September 2020.

#9. Malcom

Malcom’s career at Camp Nou may have only been saved by the fact that Barcelona didn’t suffer a significant loss when they sold him.

Even at the time, the €41 million (£36 million/$43 million) the Blaugrana paid to sign him felt like a lot of money.

First off, Malcom seemed a little needless given that he is a natural right winger and that Lionel Messi is standing in his way of making the first squad.

Additionally, he wasn’t exactly one of the most sought-after players on the transfer market. Despite spending the previous three seasons at Bordeaux, the Brazilian only made a significant impression during his final season in France.

Then there was the reality that he wasn’t exactly a hot commodity on the transfer market. Although the Brazilian had played for Bordeaux for the previous three seasons, his best performance came in his final year in France.

The fact that he struggled in Spain was not all that surprising. He only made 24 appearances and scored four goals, but one of them was a crucial equalizer in the 0-0 first leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal win over Real Madrid.

Malcom was eventually sold to Zenit Saint Petersburg for €40m (£35m/$42m) – a generous sum for a player who failed to make the grade at Barca but later went on to score the winning goal for Brazil in the 2020 Olympics.

“I left [Barcelona] with a cool head,” he later told MARCA, “because I did a good job.” Many Blaugrana fans would beg to differ…

#8. Alex Song

The €18 million (£15 million/$18 million) move by Alex Song was doomed from the start. He had no interest in contests or fame at all. His only driving force was money.

The former Cameroon international admitted as much in an Instagram conversation with Pascal Siakam. “When Barcelona offered me a contract, and I saw how much I would earn, I didn’t think twice,” he said.

“I believed that once my job is gone, my wife and kids should enjoy happy lives.

I met Barca’s sporting director, who informed me that I would not get to play in many games. However, I didn’t give a f*ck because I already knew that I would become a millionaire.

And he did. Also, despite unsurprisingly failing to become a first-team regular, he featured in 65 games across two seasons, winning La Liga in 2013.

However, it impossible to look back on his time at Camp Nou as anything but a waste of time and money.

#7. Andre Gomes

Barcelona was rightfully ecstatic with themselves after beating Real Madrid to the signing of Andre Gomes for €35 million (£31 million/$35 million).

After all, the midfielder had just finished an incredible season with Valencia, during which he had contributed to Portugal’s Euro 2016 victory.

After a somewhat promising beginning, Gomes’ time at Barcelona turned out to be a disaster, which had a terrible impact on his mental health.

“It turned into a bit of a hell, because I started to feel more pressure,” he told Panenka in 2018. “On more than one occasion, I didn’t want to leave my house.”

Gomes’ Camp Nou nightmare eventually came to an end when he joined Everton after a successful loan spell at Goodison Park, though he is presently on loan at Lille.

#6. Martin Braithwaite

No transfer has made Barcelona seem worse than the one that brought Martin Braithwaite to Camp Nou, one could easily claim.

In fact, it ridiculed the idea that Barcelona is more than just a club and follows a distinct moral code than other teams.

The Catalans had gotten themselves into a situation of their own creation in February 2020. They had to ask for an emergency signing after the frail Frenchman was sidelined for the duration of the season after curiously opting to rely on the infamously injury-prone Ousmane Dembele rather than bolstering their attack during the winter window.

Braithwaite was so purchased by Barca for €18 million (£16 million/$18 million) from Leganes, who were unable to find a replacement and were ultimately relegated.

The Dane, who is currently playing for Espanyol, rarely got the start for Barca and scored just five goals in 44 Liga games.

Even worse, Braithwaite’s departure was a shockingly unceremonious one. He was jeered by the crowd and allegedly “bullied” by the club before mutually agreeing to end his contract by mutual consent to help his employers’ financial situation.

One of the most tragic incidents Barca has ever been a part of, from beginning to end.

#5. Miralem Pjanic

With the acquisition of Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic in June 2020, we may have gained our first meaningful understanding of Barcelona’s precarious financial status under Josep Maria Bartomeu.

In reality, this was a swap deal, as Pjanic’s arrival at Camp Nou coincided with Arthur’s departure for Turin for a stated €72m. The transfer fee was theoretically €60m (£52m/$60m), with a possible €5m (£4.4m/$5m) in add-ons.

In terms of market worth, the numbers were extremely illogical. Arthur may have been a player with promise, but the injury-prone Brazilian had only sometimes shone in Catalunya, miserably failing to live up to his reputation as the “new Xavi,” and it had been obvious to Serie A supporters for some time that Pjanic was past his prime.

To balance the books, it made perfect sense because the inflated statistics involved brought Barca and Juve closer to reaching their financial goals before the conclusion of the fiscal year.

Unsurprisingly, though, it proved a disaster in a sporting sense. Pjanic played just one season at Barca before being loaned to Besiktas and then joining Sharjah in September 2022 after his contract had been terminated by mutual consent.

#4. Keirrison

In 2009, Barcelona signed Keirrison from Palmeiras for an initial fee of €14 million (£12 million/$14 million), with the possibility of a further €2 million in add-ons based on first-team appearances.

Keirrison didn’t participate in a single game for Barca, just like fellow Brazilian Henrique, another notorious washout. not one. Despite working on the Blaugrana’s books for five years.

Instead, he was frequently loaned out to Benfica, Fiorentina, Santos, Cruzeiro, and Coritiba, which he eventually joined permanently in 2014 once his Barca contract expired.

In retrospect, perhaps we should have realized right away that Keirrison would never be a success at Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola was practically admitting that he had nothing to do with the sale when the player was speaking upbeatly in his first press conference about joining his team.

“The club has decided to sign him,” the Barca boss said. “He’ll go out on loan. I won’t be counting on him for this season.”

Indeed, it was claimed that Laporta only acquired Keirrison with the intention of reselling him for a profit in the future. However, even that strategy failed, making the forward one of the most disastrous acquisitions in Barcelona’s history.

#3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is an absolute legend of the game, as he would be the first to tell you. But his relocation to Barcelona is one of the worst business decisions ever.

Remember that in addition to paying Inter €69.5 million (£59 million/$75 million) for Ibrahimovic, the Blaugrana also gave up 2009 Champions League champion Samuel Eto’o, who later assisted the Nerazzurri in winning the treble after defeating Barca in the semifinals.

At that point, Ibrahimovic had accused Pep Guardiola of having “no balls” and “sh*tting himself” in front of his previous boss Jose Mourinho, and their relationship with the Catalan had completely crumbled.

The late Mino Raiola, the agent for the striker, called Guardiola a “coward” and even attacked him before the 2012 Champions League final.

Naturally, it’s important to keep in mind that Ibrahimovic scored 21 goals overall, but what we’re really talking about here is possibly the biggest personality conflict in football history.

#2. Philippe Coutinho

The worst transfer in Barcelona’s history, but one of the most significant in Liverpool’s.

The Blaugrana agreed to spend €120m (£100m/$130m) for a player that they genuinely didn’t need, plus €40m (£34m/$43m) in potential bonuses.

Was he a midfielder, an attacker, or a hybrid? Despite the fact that Bartomeu had no information, he made an effort to sign the Brazilian.

Overall, it was a nightmare. In fact, Coutinho’s two goals against the Catalans in 2020 while on loan to Bayern Munich was his most significant contribution during his four years with Barcelona.

They allowed the Brazilian international join Aston Villa for just €20 million (£17 million/$21.5 million) in 2022 after spending what felt like a lifetime attempting to sell him as they frantically tried to regain some financial stability at Camp Nou after very nearly going bankrupt under Bartomeu.

Although his second stint in the Premier League got off to a good start, Coutinho has struggled to regain his best form and, as THEEAGLE reported, is now hoping to move back home, with Corinthians being his most likely destination. It’s clear that Barca was happy to see him go.

#1. Antoine Griezmann

In 2018, Antoine Griezmann humiliated Barcelona by openly discussing a €100 million (£86 million/$107 million) transfer to Camp Nou before publicly rejecting them at the conclusion of a documentary video made by Blaugrana defender Gerard Pique.

The fans were indignant. They were through with the Atletico Madrid star.

But for whatever reason, Bartomeu mysteriously made another bid for Griezmann the following year, promising to pay the Frenchman’s contract’s €120 million (£100 million/$130 million) buy-out clause, as if trying to make a point.

The dynamic attacker had sporadic success at Camp Nou, and in 2021 he crawled back to Madrid before rejoining Atletico on loan with an eye toward a permanent deal.

The situation for Griezmann then became quite Messi, with Atletico only using him in the final 30 minutes of games to avoid activating the €40 million (£35 million/$40 million) acquisition clause in his contract.

Fortunately, the two parties were able to settle their differences, and the agreement was made permanent just before Griezmann was instrumental in France’s run to the World Cup final.