Thomas Vermaelen’s transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona has gone from dream to nightmare, but he’s not the only failure the club have had in the transfer market.
SEE MORE:
Arsenal and Chelsea target labelled ‘new Messi’ and given £28m price tag
Arsenal news
Barcelona gossip
The Belgium international arrived at the club last summer, having left the Gunners for £15 million. Then only 28, it looked as though the Catalans were going to enjoy the player’s prime, following his unexpected fade to the peripheries of Arsene Wenger’s squad.
To date, he has made a grand total of zero appearances for his new club, having been a permanent fixture on the treatment table.
The games are running out this season for the centre-back to make an appearance, and Vermaelen is fast running out of chances to avoid going a whole year without making a competitive appearance for his new club.
Surely Vermaelen ranks high among Barcelona’s worst-ever signings—for now at least—but who else makes the list?
In this feature we run down some of the club’s most disastrous transfer market decisions. Look away now Barca fans!
The Arsenal Four
Like Vermaelen, Overmars swapped North London for Catalonia.
Like Vermaelen, Overmars appeared to be in his prime when he arrived at Barcelona.
The Dutch winger won nothing in Spain, despite costing Barca a whopping €30 million.
Emmanuel Petit moved along with Overmars, and is another example of a player whose career took a turn for the worse when opting for the Nou Camp over Arsenal.
Alex Hleb could also be added to this slide—a list in itself.
The Belarusian left Arsenal for €21 million in search of glory. He made only 19 La Liga appearances before leaving permanently in 2012 for…er…Krylia Sovetov Samara.
Wenger 4 Barca 0!
Keirrison
Brazilian striker Keirrison was signed as something of a wonderkid in 2009, leaving Palmeiras on a €14 million.
He left five years later, having never made a senior appearance for Barcelona.
Now, still only 26, he’s back in Brazil, playing for Coritiba…you’d be forgiven for not having heard of him!
Victor Baia
Like the late Robert Enke and Victor Valdes, Baia arrived at Barcelona with burgeoning reputations, only to struggle with the pressure and the demands of the Nou Camp.
Baia was possibly the biggest let-down of the three.
He was prone to significant lapses of concentration in Catalonia and eventually slumped back to Portugal.
Frederic Dehu
Eleven appearances after a €6 million move from Racing Club de Lens was a poor return for a France international, who returned back to Ligue 1 after only one season in Spain.
Geovanni
The playmaker was later to demonstrate his class—briefly—at Manchester City, and then again—in patches—at Hull City—but he was a flop at Barcelona.
Arriving for a considerable fee of €21 million, Geovanni struggled under the pressure and he left after two years and one goal.
Dmytro Chygrynskiy
The Ukraine defender arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk with a burgeoning reputation and a €25 million price tag. After only 12 league appearances, he was gone, returning to Shakhtar for €15 million.
Admittedly, other talented defenders, such as Juventus’s Martin Caceres, struggled when dropped into Barca’s backline under Pep Guardiola.
Eventually, it was a midfielder—Javier Mascherano—who ultimately completed the dream team alongside Gerard Pique.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic—a major star, a world-class striker, a La Liga winner…but was he really worth €50 million plus Barcelona icon Samuel Eto’o?
It was the Cameroon striker who would go on to win the Champions League in 2010, while Zlatan lasted only one season.