FC Barcelona must sign Neymar Jr: why and how it's still possible
Neymar Jr joined FC Barcelona from Santos at the age of 21 in the summer of 2013. It was a controversial deal, so much so that the then-president, Sando Rusell, went to prison for it.
Everyone instantly fell in love with the young Brazilian. His vision, skills and technique were only second to the GOAT Leo Messi. He was soon dubbed as the CHOSEN ONE. But the prodigal son had his share of baggage with him. He had an attitude, a knack for showboating and diving, and his off-the-field shenanigans raised a lot of eyebrows. But he usually made up for that with the ball on his feet.
On August 3, 2017, the footballing world was shaken forever when Neymar joined PSG by paying his buy-out clause of €222m. This world-record transfer is perhaps the most controversial deal of the decade. The Blaugrana world felt betrayed and the agony hasn't stopped yet. Some even went as far as to call him Moneymar and Luis Figo.
In my opinion, Neymar isn't anything like Luis Figo. He left with an emotional video thanking the club and the fans. He even mentioned how grateful he was for the opportunity to share the dressing room with the legends he'd play for in video games. A month down the line, in his first break as a PSG player, there he was in the Barcelona dressing room spending time with his friends and ex-teammates. Instead of partying with his entourage on his yacht or the private jet like we'd come to expect of him. Since his departure, he has visited Barcelona to spend time with his ex-teammates on several occasions. He has never spoken ill of the 'Mes Que Un Club' and has always shown through his actions how much he misses the club and regrets leaving it.
Barcelona haven't been great without Neymar either. Having spent around €350m plus add-ons as of yet, there's still no replacement for him. Injury-prone Ousmane Dembele, 17-year-old reserve-team sensation Ansu Fati and out-of-position Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann have been tried on the left side. The latter duo are arguably the biggest stars in the world of football. However, they are not wingers and thus, lack the speed and technical ability required to be played out wide. The closest the Catalans come to replacing Neymar is when fit, motivated, well-rested Dembele enter the pitch. He has all the qualities to succeed but playing 10 games a season was never going to fit the bill. Ansu Fati, on the other hand, gives hope. A young winger with the requisite speed, skill and finish. But at just 17, relying on him for 50 games a season is far-fetched to say the least. Fati must be handled with due care and attention for his development.
That was just one of the problems. Messi, who's now 33, plays centrally a lot. At times, the only source of width is from the two full-backs. This, in turn, breaks the whole formation which results in a counterattacking goal from oppositions. Furthermore, when there's not enough creativity and movement in the middle, Messi usually drops deep (as deep as a CDM) to create chances. This leaves Luis Suarez as the lone forward against a pack of four defenders and the chance goes begging.
The main hurdle that Barcelona will have to overcome is the over-reliance on Leo Messi. With the departures of Xavi, Iniesta, Dani Alves and Neymar, it was all about Messi and Suarez. Now that Suarez isn't as prolific as he was earlier, the pressure is all on Messi. It is also evident from the fact that Messi has only scored 6 goals in the last 11 games. Leo has also scored the least number of goals this season as compared to his tally in the last 10 seasons.
Moreover, the guy is 33. How much more can he give? One day he will slow down and finally retire. Then what? There is no one in the world who will ever carry this team on his shoulders like Leo; absolutely no one. But Neymar Jr is perhaps the only one who will come closest to Leo and will be able to carry the team further than most.
Let's take a walk down memory lane. At the start of both 2013/14 and 2015/16 seasons, Messi had suffered quite lengthy injuries. He was out of action for two months on both occasions. It was Neymar who carried the team on his own. Although he had the support from Andres Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez, Alexis Sanchez and even Luis Suarez, he was constant, consistently performing in every match and running the show in Leo's absence. He has also shown to be the main man when Leo failed to deliver, like in the 6-1 remontada against PSG.
Truth be told, no one has benefited from Neymar's transfer to PSG. Barcelona certainly has not. Neymar plays for one team whilst his heart is set on another. PSG has not yet won a single Champions League since his arrival. Sure, they have a terrific front three but a very mediocre midfield and even worse defence.
It only makes sense for Neymar Jr to return home to Barcelona. President Josep Bartomeu has already ruled out the transfer due to the current pandemic. But it is still very much possible if he had enough vision and motivation.
Neymar currently has two years left on his contract. With the pressure of a renewal and Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations looming, Barcelona hold a strong position in the transfer. It was previously reported by multiple sources that Neymar can trigger Art-17 and FIFA would then set the amount of the transfer at €170-180m. However, I do not believe it to be true. Having researched on the previous use of Art-17, whilst taking into account Neymar's current value of €128m and the current circumstances, it is more likely that his value will more likely be set between €88m-140m. Barcelona can resort to Art-17 as a last resort.
It is my opinion that Barcelona now have the upper hand. I think the board should negotiate with PSG from the position of strength and sign Neymar for less than €150m (no players included). If the board can pull it off, I think PSG will cave. It could be the deal of the century.
The current transfer window would no doubt take a hit by the current pandemic and hence getting €150m would seem like an impossible task. However, Barca have put several players on the market. Selling Nelson Semedo (€50m), Jean-Clair Todibo (25m), Junior Firpo (25m), Martin Braithwaite (€18m), Rafinha (€16m), Ivan Rakitic (€10m) ought to do the trick. Selling the aforementioned players for the right price would be no walk in the park but that is where the competency of the current board would be challenged. We have come to know the current board to be as incompetent as they come. But let's have faith in them for one last time.
I know signing Neymar at this time and under the current board would be like a fairytale. But hey, all we can do is to have faith. Just like Neymar Jr taught us, "1% CHANCE, 99% FAITH".
Thank you if you've read the whole blog🙏🏻 I know my blog will divide the fan-base in half. Some are for and the rest are against Neymar returning. I respect everyone's opinion and I'm just sharing mine. Please share your opinion down below.
Until next time, Visca el Barca.
Comments
Man, this is REALLY impressive! Tweaks made (there were just a few, by the way). It was a joy to read. What's also amazing about this post is that you've managed to convince me, a person who has always been against Neymar's comeback, to think differently. I'm actually starting to see common sense in this deal. So thank you for giving my mind some extra food for thought 👏
Thank you Kosta for your kind words 🙏🏻 I’m glad you liked it. Honestly, I was against Neymar’s comeback too. Poor performance in the last 2 seasons have convinced me otherwise.
I like your blog. first time reading anyone's blog. very detailed. You're Cúle at heart.
Thank you so thank 🙏🏻 I’m glad you liked it
Neymar is the only solution
Yes, I think so too.