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What does retaining Messi mean for FC Barcelona's rebuild?

Published at :September 6, 2020 at 10:42 PM
Modified at :September 11, 2020 at 3:57 AM
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Andrew Rodrigues


The Argentine had recently announced he will be staying with the Spanish giants.

World's most high-profile transfer saga has concluded, at least for now. For years, the thought of seeing Lionel Messi donning the shirt of any other club other than FC Barcelona seemed completely unfathomable and for good reason too. It was the perfect union. An inseparable force.

However, something to began to change in recent years. Little by little, with every crushing disappointment in the UEFA Champions League every year, murmurs started to grow of Messi possibly doing the unthinkable and calling it quits at FC Barcelona, the club which he had joined as a 13-year-old. However, no one could ever treat it with any sort of seriousness. It never seemed like a real possibility.

As a result, social media went into a frenzy of unprecedented proportions when Messi dropped the bombshell in late August by officially letting the FC Barcelona board know of his intention to exit the club. Even though one understood the sense that this decision was a long time in the making, it still sent shockwaves across the globe. For this time, it was real and not some yearly-generated story.

The Argentine wanted to be released on a free transfer in keeping with a clause he believed was still applicable. However, the board refused to let him depart, unless a club was willing to trigger the 700 million release clause in his contract. They maintained that the date till he could rescind his contract had already expired and unwilling to take FC Barcelona to court, Messi had been left with no choice but to stay put for another year.

In an explosive interview, Messi revealed that the president Josep Maria Bartomeu had promised him that he would be given the liberty to make a decision on his future at the end of the season, however, Bartomeu ended up not keeping his word. Ultimately, the crux of the matter is that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will be kept against his wishes for another season at least.

In such a scenario, questions have been rightly asked about keeping a player who do not want to stay at the club and has publicly relayed that knowledge too. Having said that, Messi has asserted that despite him wanting to move, there won’t be a change in his demeanor and he will continue to give his all to the side next season.

“I will continue at Barca and my attitude will not change no matter how much I have wanted to go. I will do my best. I always want to win, I’m competitive and I don’t like to lose anything. I always want the best for the club, for the dressing room and for myself,” Messi affirmed in his interview with Goal.

When news broke out that the 33-year-old could be on his way out, it was perceived by many as the perfect chance for the Catalans to carry out a rebuilding project. To carefully construct a side that can win major silverwares without relying on the brilliance of Messi. There have been even suggestions that Messi's stay could now somehow hinder the rebuilding project, which is a bit odd given he has been the one carrying the team on his shoulders for a long time.

One particular school of thought is that if they had parted ways with the Argentine, they wouldn’t have to pay his astronomical wages and could then use that money to invest duly in other areas that require strengthening. However, questions have been raised if the current FC Barcelona board could be trusted to spend wisely in the transfer market. Their recent record in the transfer windows clearly suggests otherwise.

Both Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann have not been able to justify their transfer fees

Let’s take their three most expensive signings into consideration. Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann were all brought in as big-money signings to make the difference in the biggest games. On the contrary, in their humiliating loss against Bayern, Griezmann, their most recent marquee acquisition started on the bench and was introduced at half-time.

Dembele was an unused substitute whilst to top things off, their most expensive signing – Coutinho, who was on loan at Bayern came on in the second half, scoring two goals and assisting one against his parent club. In many ways, the game perfectly encapsulated the mess they have been for quite some time. In this summer window itself, they swapped talented 24-year-old midfielder Arthur Melo for an aging Miralem Pjanic from Juventus.

A major reason behind the bizarre deal taking place was to balance the books at Barca. All these points towards the incompetence and cluelessness of their decision-makers. FC Barcelona desperately requires signings who will help reduce the burden on Messi and create conditions that will facilitate the genius of the superstar.

During the 2019-20 season, Messi plundered 25 goals in La Liga for FC Barcelona, picking up the Pichichi trophy for a record seventh time. Additionally, he broke his former teammate Xavi’s record for the most assists in a single season in the league with 21 assists to his name. Messi also became the first player in the history of La Liga to record 20+ goals as well as assists. All these achievements in what is apparently believed to be the worst season of his career.

On countless occasions last year, Messi bailed FC Barcelona out with his ingenuity and his impact on the side is evident. As mentioned earlier, he isn’t getting any younger and cannot always make the difference on his own, which further highlights the urgent need for astute recruitment. With Ivan Rakitic moving back to Sevilla and Arturo Vidal as well as Luis Suarez reportedly set to leave the Catalans, the Spanish giants will need to bring in fresher legs to replace them.

ALSO READ: Five things to expect from Ronald Koeman at FC Barcelona

The Spanish giants have been linked to the likes of Memphis Depay and Lautaro Martinez, who would be excellent additions in the attack. Barca could do well with their energy, mobility and agility up top. They have also lacked a bit of drive and creativity in midfield, with Gini Wijnaldum supposedly identified as a priority target by new-coach Ronald Koeman to freshen things up in the middle of the park. If Ousmane Dembele can be kept fit, he too could be a huge asset, with his electric pace, directness, and dribbling prowess.

The question whether FC Barcelona are better off with Messi in their ranks than without him is a matter of opinions. His presence in the side should not affect the rebuilding plans. In turn, having him could smoothen the process as FC Barcelona still get another year to systematically plan for life without Messi if he decides to move on in the next summer.

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