Barcelona face selling 'important players' if €40m gamble on Champions League knockouts backfires
Updated 13/10/2022 at 14:37 GMT+1
Spanish football expert Felix Martin offers a bleak assessment of Barcelona’s current plight after a 3-3 draw with Inter Milan left their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread – just four games into the group stage. Martin says the club’s hefty summer outlay was contingent on reaching the knockout phase, suggesting they now need to find €40 million from somewhere…
'I'm angry and upset' - Xavi reacts as Barcelona's draw with Inter jeopardises progression
Video credit: SNTV
Barcelona went “all in” on reaching the Champions League knockout stage and face losing some big names if, as expected, they fail to progress from their group, according to Eurosport Spain’s Felix Martin.
The Catalan giants shocked the football world with their gung-ho transfer activity in the summer, coining the phrase ‘economic lever’ and then pulling their new toys at every turn.
It led to an influx of big-name signings, including Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha, as they splurged around €150 million on new players – despite it being widely reported they were facing financial peril.
They offset some of the expenditure with the knock-down sale of Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's switch to Chelsea, while they have since agreed a deal to keep Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid. But after failing to shift big-earners like Frenkie De Jong, success this season was imperative.
While the Catalan giants sit pretty at the top of La Liga, they have suffered a nightmare run in Europe with Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Inter Milan leaving them staring at another trip to the Europa League.
Martin fears that Champions League elimination could lead Barca to selling big stars to balance the books, also leaving them at risk of losing some of their “sporting importance”.
What is the damage if Barcelona fail to qualify for the Champions League knockouts?
Lewandowski saved Barca from elimination with a 92nd minute equaliser against Inter at the Camp Nou, but they still need a huge dose of good fortune to reach the last 16.
Barca must beat Bayern Munich (home, October 26) and Victoria Plzen (away, November 1) to have the best shot at progressing.
While that does not sound impossible, especially given Bayern may rest players having already progressed, they must also hope Inter fail to win either of their remaining two matches against the same opponents (home v Viktoria Plzen, Oct 26; away to Bayern, Nov 1).
When asked about what could happen to Barcelona if they bow out of the Champions League, Martin referenced a €40m gamble that looks set to backfire.
“Barcelona could suffer quite severe economic damage if, as everything indicates, they are eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage,” he says.
“The amount of money that the Catalan club would not receive would be close to €40m. That was money they would have included in the budget at the beginning of the season and that therefore they would lose [if they suffer an early exit].
“What consequences could this have? Time will tell, but most likely either Barca selling players the next winter/summer or not signing any important players at all.
“The truth is that both [president] Joan Laporta and [sporting director] Mateu Alemany played an 'all in' for this season and it looks that they've lost the first round since they effectively started the season with €-40M.”
How worried are you for Barcelona?
It is not all gloom for Barcelona. They still have hope of qualifying from the group, especially given Inter’s topsy-turvy form in Serie A, while they lead European champions Real Madrid in La Liga after an unbeaten start.
But Martin is concerned that without success in Europe, Xavi’s team could be picked apart by rivals to ensure the club swerves an even greater financial mess.
“I really think this situation is worrying,” he continues.
“Barca's board of directors played an all in for this season, investing in many players to try to have a good performance and retrieve that investment, but it has gone wrong for now.
“Barca need to find an economic solution for what happened yesterday [the 3-3 draw] and what's about to happen if they're finally eliminated in the group stage.
“If not, Barca could sell important players and, therefore, lose a lot of 'sporting power' and their sporting importance as a club.”
Joan Laporta, if you have another of those flashy levers, now might be a good time to give it a yank.
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