Soriano Promoted?

Ever since Pep said this: "Because of the injury of Villa we're thinking about promoting Soriano. Problem is he then can't go back to the B-team" in his press conference today, I've been getting a lot of questions about Soriano and his possible promotion. I'm going to address hopefully everything here, adapted from the transfer piece I wrote last summer.

As Pep said, the club is considering promoting Soriano to the first team since Villa is injured. It would have to be a direct promotion and not just call-ups when needed, like for example the way Cuenca sometimes gets called up, because Soriano is 26 years old and players over 25 aren't allowed to get called up. It has to be a promotion or nothing.

If you don't know Soriano's story you may wonder why he is still on the B team at age 26, why he never got called up or promoted before. The thing is that he was not raised in Barca's academy like the rest of the B-team. He joined Barca B at age 24, and before that he was a first team player at first-division Liga club Espanyol. First team, as in he took a step back to join Barca B, who were then in the third division.

Soriano had a rough time of it with Espanyol. They dragged him out on loan after loan and never gave him a real shot, and in the end let him go without renewing his contract or caring to look into taking offers for him.

Barca, as Soriano puts it, ‘saved his footballing career.’ Not one to be daunted by his bad experience with Espanyol, he came to Barca B and started over. His first season with Barca B saw him score 36 goals (31 league goals), finishing among the top scorers in all four sections of the Segunda B and leading Barca B into promotion to the Segunda A, the second division. He scored another 36 the next season (32 league), claiming Pichichi, top scorer of the entire second division, and leading Barca B to finish third place in the league ranking. An incredible achievement for a B team in the second division.

His history with Espanyol and his performance with Barca B over the past two seasons invalidate any doubts based on his age. Last season, only the rule claiming that players over 25 can not be called up from the B team to the first team if they haven’t been called up from the start of the season prevented Pep from calling him up (he did try).

Pep included Soriano in his preseason squad prior to the start of this season, and Soriano played 2 or 3 matches with the first team in which he was very impressive. Then he received a massive blow in the form of a calf injury that would sideline him for two months. The injury meant that he was dropped from Barca's preseason squad and also stood in the way of a possible transfer to another club.

So Soriano would be stuck on the B team for another season. This season started with him still sidelined, recovering from the injury, and his absence was greatly felt by the B team as they started the season poorly. When Soriano returned to the playing field Barca B's form immediately picked up.

Recall that when Nolito, who is also a striker, decided he wanted to leave Barca B last season and join another club, he was offered a first team contract. He’s only one year younger than Soriano and Soriano’s performance has been more impressive, so if Nolito is/was first team material than Soriano most certainly is.

As for Soriano’s own willingness to join the first team – he doesn’t share Nolito’s stance. Nolito left because he saw no future for himself at Barca, insisting that he needs to go somewhere where he’ll get more playing time and make more money; seeing as he’s married with his own family as well as his parents to support, and no one can blame him.

Whereas Soriano… he did an interview for Sport last summer where he talks about his time at Barca and what the future may hold for him, saying how grateful he is to Barca and completely at peace with whatever may happen, if he leaves or if he stays. If he leaves he will miss Barca very much, but he will accept it, thought his hope is to stay and be promoted, in which case he would give it everything he’s got. “I’ll be grateful for any opportunity Guardiola gives me,” he says. As his soaring season with Barca B last season neared it’s end he said, “I’m fighting for the first team.” More than anything he just wants to play football, wherever that may be. He was close to quitting the sport before Barca ‘saved’ him; now he says he wouldn’t dream of leaving it.

That Soriano would be a viable and effective replacement for Villa, that he would work for it and give all his effort, and that he deserves the promotion, is undoubted. The question then becomes, if Barca promotes him then what happens once Villa returns?

Well, Villa is out until the end of the season. Soriano will be leaving Barca at the end of the season if he doesn't get promoted to the first team. At his age and talent, it is shame for him not to be playing first division football, and only injury stood between him and a transfer last summer.

So since Soriano would be leaving at the end of the season anyway, it makes sense to promote him now. Better he spend the remainder of the season with the first team than with the B team. Then at the end of the season when Villa returns, if the consensus is that Soriano is no longer needed, he will transfer to another club - as he would be doing anyway, if he hadn't got the promotion. That's why the way I see it, there is no reason at all not to promote him. And now that Pep has brought it up it seems probable, so fingers crossed.

Cesc Fabregas, That's Who

Every time Thiago scores, Barca fans start to crow “Cesc who, Cesc who!” I don’t quite see the relevance, because it’s news to me that we’re interested in Cesc as a goal scorer. 

Thiago is a phenomenal player and he’s been having an incredible preseason, relentlessly netting goal after breathtaking goal, and to have a midfielder dominating the team’s scoring is something relatively new to Barca. For years now it’s been the forwards getting the job done with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta getting their names on the score sheet only occasionally. I think that’s part of what makes the prospect of Thiago so exciting for Barca – he’s bringing something new to the team; but in light of this something new, I think people are forgetting the importance of the something old. 

Thiago has scored four goals in four preseason friendlies for Barca. Apart from that, the only other goal the team has seen was an odd one from Jonathan Dos Santos. Nothing from any of Barca’s forwards – Villa, Pedro, Afellay, Carmona, Soriano before he got injured – it’s just been the Thiago show. Now picture those four matches if Xavi is on the pitch instead of Thiago. Those goals don’t get scored by Xavi but they do get scored by Barca’s forwards, because Xavi is doing what we count on him to do: playing up the passing game, distributing the ball, feeding killer assists to his teammates.

If these four preseason matches are anything to go by, more than anything Thiago reminds me of Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano is a midfielder that is an undisputed goal scoring machine; he has an incredible eye for the net and possesses that astonishing ability to conjure up goals from the midfield – unlike the forward that is waiting on the pass from the midfielder so he can score, he has the creativity to score independently. I see all this in Thiago. Another notable thing about Cristiano is his low assist count – he’s more focused on getting the ball to the net than to his teammates. That’s just the kind of player he is. 

In this preseason so far, Thiago’s goal to match ratio stands at four to four, but Barca’s win to match ratio stands at one to four. One win out of four matches in which it’s largely just been the Thiago show. I don’t mean to say that Thiago is a selfish player or that he’s bad for the team – not at all; I’m convinced he’ll make the most incredible addition. Wthout a goal-scoring threat in midfield Barca has already been virtually unstoppable; it’s almost scary to imagine what they’ll be like now with Thiago in the mix. 

And that’s my whole point, that Thiago is something new and exciting to be integrated into what we already have, and it’s what we already have that we have to watch out for. By that I mean Xavi – Xavi the playmaker, Xavi the assist master, Xavi the midfield maestro. 

Many people like to argue that Messi would not score so much if he didn’t have Xavi and Iniesta feeding him the ball. With his national team, Messi hasn’t scored in ages because Argentina’s midfield is beyond dysfunctional; he’s had to be playmaker himself instead of looking for the net. Barca’s game stems from the midfield and Xavi has been nothing short of downright crucial. 

Xavi is also not as young as he once was. Last season he had to miss out on a considerable number of matches due to tendonitis, and this is something that’ll only worsen as he gets older. He hasn’t played a single match since the Champions League final, opting out of international call-ups to get some rest and he’s been resting for two months, yet here we are, four matches into the preseason and he’s still not able to play. In case you haven’t already grasped it, this is a huge cause for worry. Xavi is not going to be able to play as much as before and Barca is going to suffer for it, unless we have someone to replace him. And Cesc is the answer. I guess Xavi knows this, and this is why he’s continually pressing for Cesc to come to Barca, more than all the rest of the Barca players; to an extent where a lot of people are deeming it disrespectful of him. Xavi’s not a disrespectful guy, he just knows what the team needs and is looking out for Barca. 

The sad thing about Cesc is that because he’s been injured so much (and considerable fault lies on the incompetence of Arsenal’s medical staff for this, at Barca he would not have as much trouble) people tend to forget what an incredible player he actually is – he really is one of the most exceptional midfielders you will find. I won’t go as far as to say a full mix between Cristiano and Xavi, but something along those lines: When fit, he scores his fair share of goals – not as frequently as the likes of Cristiano but a lot more often than Xavi or Iniesta – and more importantly, he’s also assist master extraordinaire. Cesc Fabregas, despite spending almost all of last season sidelined with injury, has more assists than any player – Xavi included – in the top European leagues over the past three years. Let me say that again: more assists than anyone, and that’s counting an entire season in which he barely played. Which is to say – amazing.

There’s a reason that Pep makes Cesc’s signing a priority, and there’s a reason that as Xavi’s fitness declines, he relentlessly pushes for this transfer to happen. And who knows better than the midfield maestro himself and Barca’s genius of a coach? The next time Thiago scores a goal, we might not want to be so quick to cry out “Cesc who?” – maybe instead we should dig out the old favorite we’ve been crowing for three years now, “In Pep we trust.”

Hello, Goodbye

Martin Caceres, Victor Sanchez and Alexander Hleb all have a few things in common. They all became a part of Barca's first team for the first time during the historic treble season of 2008-2009, sharing the victory while not being a very significant part of it. Subsequently, all three were dispatched on loan the following season: Sanchez to local team Xerez, Caceres to Italian powerhouse Juventus, and Hleb to German side Stuttgart. Once their year-long loans were up, the three soldiers trudged back to Barcelona to report for duty, only to be sent packing for yet another season on loan:

Sanchez stays local again, this time facing a year with Getafe;

Caceres of the fine abs (photo via ontd_fb) will also play locally, his new team being Sevilla, who have an option to buy him next summer;

Hleb goes back to Englad (where he played with Arsenal before joining Barca) to spend the season with Birmingham.

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Till next preseason, boys.

Mascherano Presented

Monday was a busy day for Barca's new signing, Mascherano. It started out with the five-hour medical test in the Ciutat Contal, followed by the contract signing in the club's offices and photos with the board members. After that it was off to the presentation on Camp Nou in the full Barca kit, with him taking the number 14 recently vacated by Thierry Henry, and the press conference. Some of his comments:

"I talked a little by phone with Guardiola. Tomorrow we'll talk in person. I said I know well which club I'm joining."

"When you're playing with great players, everything is easier. The adaptation should go quickly. There are no excuses."

"Of course I want to play. I'm not here on holidays. I respect the players that are here but I'll be ready."

"Winning is like a drug. When you win, you want to keep on winning. I hope I can join Barça's winning spirit."

"It's clear that playing for Barcelona has always been a dream, and the last years even more, seeing how they play."

Ibra Officially Signs For Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has officially signed for AC Milan, after he, Raiola, Rosell and Galliani have been wrapped up in the final negotiations at Camp Nou all evening. The deal is worth twenty five million (to be paid over three years) which is what - a quarter? a third? somewhere in between? - of what we actually paid for him. The club's negotiation skills could use some sharpening, no doubt.

The agreement is that Zlatan will be on loan for the first year, with an obligation to buy next summer. His salary is reported to be eight million a year over the agreed four year period. Ibrahimovic's mood has seemingly brightened now his deal has been made, as he was cracking jokes about the meeting: "I'm here to sign my new Barça contract, ask Guardiola about it." Cute.

His new contract was drawn up by Milan lawyer Leandro Cantamessa and speedily delivered to Camp Nou, where he wasted no time in putting pen to paper and tying himself to the Italian club for the next four years. There was some debate as to whether the news would be announced by Galliani and Ibrahimovic at the Camp Nou or by Berlusconi who happened to be at the Milanello sports center, before deciding on Barcelona.

The four emerged from Camp Nou to face the press, and Ibra talked:

"I'm very happy because I'm joining one of the best clubs of the world."

"Since the coach didn't want me, this is the best solution. To know what the problem was, you should talk with the coach. I don't know it."

"Now I want to will all trophies with Milan."

Then he and Galliani hopped into his car and drove away.

He's set to arrive at the Linate airport in Milan in a private plane at 12:30, meet with his new teammates and coach before giving a press conference at the San Siro stadium at 19:45, then be presented 15 minutes before the Milan's league game against Lecce. Bit funny, isn't it, that he already signed the contract and is going to be presented, all before he even takes his physical, which is set for Monday?

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Official statements:

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FC Barcelona

AC Milan

Huge thanks to Pep of barcastuff for tweeting live updates of the events as they went down!

Mascherano Arrives

"I am pleased and proud to be forming a part of a team that has won everything," was Javier Mascherano's declaration earlier today as he posed for the customoary photos in front of the club's crest. Mascherano, who'll be biding the weekend in Barcelona before reporting for his physical and all that jazz on Monday, expressed how glad he is to be joining the team and his eagerness to contribute:

"It is a dream come true because of what it all means. After everything I have done in the past few years this is great, but above all because I will play for a great team with great people."

"Just like I have with every team I have played for I will give everything and really want to help in any way I can. I want to adapt now as quickly as possible."

Training & Transfer Tales

So what do you think was going on during Friday morning training? Ibrahimovic trying to talk to Pep, while the manager walked right past without even glancing at him? Probably, if you ask Ibra's agent Raiola, who has been mouthing off left and right all through this incredibly messy transfer saga, leading the club to take legal action against him.

Meanwhile, it seems that Ibra's transfer to AC Milan is about to be finalized. After the two sides have been haggling over price for a while, a meeting has been set for 4:30 PM on Saturday to close the deal. Rosell is flying in from Ibiza - having just escaped to the island in the midst of all the transfer chaos - for the occasion. Let's hope the madness ends after this.

The Mascherano Move

Well, it really happened. Barca have officially made the deal with Liverpool for the transfer of Javier Mascherano, with the Argentine midfielder set to sign for four years. The affair is contingent upon him passing the physical examination, which will take place on Monday along with the contract signing and presentation, but he'll be at Camp Nou by 11:00 AM tomorrow.

I'm not a really big fan of this transfer. Not just because of the way it was handled, what with Masch's playing strike and everything else, but because I really don't think we need him, even if Yaya left. We've got enough midfielders as it is and all this means is one more benchwarmer.

When Pep rejected the signing of Ozil, I thought he was going to be content with the midfielders he's got and the youth to fall back on, especially after he promoted a few of the youngsters to the senior squad. Guess I was wrong. Well, we'll just have to see how this pans out, I still trust in Pep.

Ibrahimovic To Milan?

We all saw Galliani and Rosell avidly discussing oh-I-wonder-what-it-can-be during last night's match, then shaking hands on something at the end. We also noticed that Ibrahimovic disappeared at the final whistle, leaving his team to celebrate on their own. What can it all mean?

Milan have been quite blunt about their desire to get Ibrahimovic over to the San Siro, and Ibra seems to feel unwelcome bacause Pep has spoken to him "only twice in six months." As he explained: "I don't know the reason for this, but there are certainly problems. I asked him what the problem was but I didn't get a response."

Pep's answer to that is that there's a reason for everything: "If I have only spoken to him twice in the last six months, it is for a reason. There's always a reason for things. I'm super communicative and talked to him for 45 minutes. It was not a tense conversation. I have an open door. If we do not speak, sure there's a reason but now is not the time to talk about it. I insist."

Hinting that the problem with Ibra has more to do with his personality while denying that it is anything like Eto'o's case, Pep went on to say that the matter will be investigated to see what's on Ibra's mind and why he didn't join in the celebration.

Meanwhile, Rosell and Galliani are meeting for lunch today to discuss the matter further. The most likely scenario would be Ibrahimovic joining Milan on loan, with the two presidents currently bickering over who will pay how much of his salary.

Ibra's performance with Barca over the preseason has shown obvious improvement, but I just don't think there's enough room for him and Villa both on the team, and certainly not when Ibra's going to be grumpy about it. If he wants Milan and Milan want him, then it's probably in everyone's best interest that he does go. Barca will be more than fine without him.

It's Wacky Week!

Transfer rumors usually bore the hell of me, but it's probably best not to bother with excuses for the lack of updates lately and just get on with it.

Besides, we've entered the final week of the summer transfer period and you know what that means: the chance for the press to come out with the the most ridiculous, out-of-nowhere speculations they've probably been devising all summer long in preparation for this week.

The only time they're busier is during the last month of the season when when they're scurrying to keep up with finals and trophies and celebration scandals; so without further ado let the dish begin.

Look at us, thinking that the Cesc Fabregas drama was over for this summer. The media have certainly made fools of us all, because lo and behold, Cesc has declared his devotion to Catalunya in an open act of treason against Wenger, and awaits his rescue from the dungeons of Emirates Stadium where he's been confined. Rest assured that Pique and Puyol are on it and plan to kidnap him and bring him home; before the week is out Cesc will be carving his name with the sword of Saint Jordi into the grass on Camp Nou.

Also, he'll most likely be joined by Liverpool's Javier Mascherano in no time, seeing as Javier, in collaboration with Victor Valdes, has devised in ingenious plan involving a playing/hunger strike to make his club consent to selling him to Barca - apparently Rosell slipped something into Pep's morning cereal to make him change his mind about back-up signings.

Because we can totally afford more signings now that Ibrahimovic is leaving. Didn't y'all hear? He had a slumber party with Galliani and amidst painting each other's nails, they agreed all the personal terms for his switch to AC Milan and are now taking his kit measurements. Meanwhile, the circle completes itself as Gerard Pique consoles himself over Ibra's departure by reserving the locker beside his own for Cesc.

In the next few days you can expect Galliani to throw half of Milan's players into the Ibra offer, while Manchester City prepare a 200 million euro offer for Messi and Pep challeges Wenger to a jousting match in which Cesc is the prize. Until then, everyone's invited to Villa's debut party where you'll get the chance to be drenched in cava by a certain blue-eyed Catalan who also doubles as the DJ.

Youth Players Trump Back-Up Signings

Pep Guardiola shrugged off all of Sandro Rosell's urges for him to sign back-up players in favor of depending on Barca's youth team, and I'm a trillion percent behind him on that one. We never needed Ozil or any other midfeilder, and seeing how swiftly the German signed for Real Madrid after the deal with Barca failed to go through, I'm glad that it did fail.

Who needs Ozil when you've got the adorable Jonathan Dos Santos on your youth team? I'm totally thrilled that Jonny is one of the four players Pep has decided to promote to the senior squad, along with Thiago Alcantara (attacking midefield), Oriol Romeu (defensive midfield) and Andreu Fontas (centerback). Hopefully this turns out to be a great thing for them all!

Randoms: Pique's Greek Getaway

- So much Barca gossip, and it's not even about Barca. It's about Pique, who can't help but attract limelights from all around the world even when he's vacationing in the remotest parts of it...

- Like during his recent vaycay in Greece with his girl Nuria Tomas (pic via kickette) which shuts down all speculation that they had split up. What also calls to be shut down is the web of claims that Gerard had an affair with Shakira during his stay in Ibiza. She may have been there and they may have hung out together, but I doubt there's much more to the story than that. Chica's been in a committed relationship since forever, and in case you missed it, our boy has a girlfriend.

- Back to Barca: Our B-team beat the champions of China 3-0 yesterday, woohoo! Okay, it wasn't exactly the B-team, but almost. Barely a handful of first-teamers participated (goals from Roberto, Nolito, Ibrahimovic) what with the team's eight Spanish champions still missing, which brings me to the next piece of news:

- International issues ended with the World Cup. Right? Wrong. They keep getting worse what with the upcoming friendlies, like the Mexico - Spain match that's disrupting Barca's Supercup squad. Our Spaniard champions, bar Iniesta, are stalled from catching up with the team since they've all been called up; and Jonathan Dos Santos would have gone packing to join Mexico if they hadn't agreed to pardon him. You won't see anything like that concerning the Spanish players though, so our wait for their return is further extended.

- Iniesta alone reported for duty in Barcelona today, took his physical and was put right to training, solo. Hopefully this season he won't be plagued with injury again, and Barca can stop worrying about buying a midfielder that I personally think we don't need. Pep doesn't seem too keen on buying Ozil anyway, and In Pep We Trust, right?

- Xavi, who has been very vocal concerning just about every matter under the sun lately, is still ranting about Cesc being kept from joining Barca, saying things like "You should never cage an animal that is meant to be in the wild and you can’t cage a player of Cesc’s talent." Then again, the Daily Star isn't the most reliable of sources, and after Puyol denying his alleged Cesc-related comments, you never know what to believe.

- Last of all, y'all need to check out this wonderfully imaginative interpretation of the Cesc saga if you haven't already.

Till Next Summer, Cescy

The never-ending Cesc saga has come to an end - for this transfer period at least. We went after him last summer, the chase picked up again this summer, and as sure as there are blue and red stripes on a Barca shirt, we'll be at it again next summer. Buying Cesc is an obsession that Barca has, and honestly, it's not so much we need Cesc as it is we want Cesc. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and I'd love him to be on the club as much as the next fan - see the wish list on the sidebar to the left. But perhaps this is for the best, and maybe come next summer there will be more need for Cesc on the team.

It's just too bad that in the end, Cesc had to stay on Arsenal against his desire. It was pretty clear that he wanted to come here, but Arsenal weren't very open to negotiation... ah well, Xavi considers him only on loan to Arsenal over the next year, after which he'll definitely join Barca, so let's be as optimistic as he is.

Anyway, the club released their official statement on the matter and so did Cesc, and it's nothing we haven't already heard, and will continue to hear when Cesgate opens up again in a year.

Rafa Marquez Officially Departs

So I'm gone all day on a family outing, oblivious to the fact that an hour after I did the previous post and got offline, Rafael Marquez's departure from Barca was officially announced. It was all over my twitter homepage when I opened it later that night, and although I knew it was coming, I can't help but be just a little bit heartbroken.

Well, I'll keep it short. He and the club came to a mutual agreement to rescind his contract, which would have been good for two more years. I can be glad about the fact that Rafa went willingly and wasn't outed the way Eto'o was, but I had hoped he'd retire on the club. I thought he would when his contract was renewed last season. But I guess this is good for him, he'll be playing much more on another club than if he'd stayed with Barca.

Rafa gave a press conference where he affirmed his love for the club and his satisfaction with his time here, saying that he'll be a Barca fan till he dies. Then he stopped by training yesterday to bid farewell to the team, photos here. It's too bad Barca's Spaniards couldn't be there, but Dani Alves was, fresh from his vacation, and even in the midst of my sadness over Rafa's departure I couldn't not notice how awesome Dani's outfit was.

Later that day his public farewell was held in the Sala Paris in Camp Nou (the chamber of Barca's 2006 Champions League victory in Paris), which is a fitting location since Rafa says that that is his best memory with the club. President Sandro Rossel, coach Pep Guardiola, and team Captain Carles Puyol where among those present, and Rafa was presented with a commemorative plaque and recieved a long standing ovation.

Goodbye and infinite thanks for everything, Rafa. You and your hair have been inspirational to me for years, and of all the players who have departed from Barca, you are so far the only one I love enough to continue stalking even after you've left the club.

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Edit: Actually, I still stalk Deco from time to time too. Damn, I miss that guy.

Parting With Rafa

I've been hoping against hope that this wouldn't go through, but it looks like there's no use denying the matter any longer. Rafael Marquez is leaving Barcelona.

It's heartbreaking news for me because Rafa is one of my favorite players ever, and I don't think he deserves to be dispatched at this time. Yes, he's had some bad games and made some mistakes during the past couple of years, but as last season progressed he was playing better and in my opinion, wasn't given enough minutes to prove he's still good enough for this team. Not to mention he's one of the best set-piece takers ever (it sucks that Barca didn't take advantage of that and he wasn't put up to the plate very often). And why did the club go out of their way to renew his contract last season if they didn't want him to stay?

But what's done is done, and Rafa is off to join Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls. I hope he has a great run there!

Randoms: Pique Vacationing With... Guess Who?

- For those of you wondering what Gerard Pique is up to now that the World Cup is over, he’s in Ibiza with none other than... Cesc Fabregas, naturally. They're on a vacation that revolves around beaching and boating, and you know what that means – hot waterside photos of the two. There are already some shots of Pique on the boat in question, looking great if you can look past the puffy pink shorts; you could also get your Pique fix from this video.

- David Villa is set to be the face of a new ad for the NESTLÉ ice cream Maxibon, also promoting the related ‘Mix The Trip’ contest that invites participants to propose their dream trip, or something. More here.

- Apparently, Barca has about fifty million euros to spend on transfers this summer (does that include the 9.5 million already put up for Adriano?), which basically means that the club can spend it all on Cesc, or make several other back-up signings. With the club saying they'll certainly sign a centerback and a defensive midfielder, I wonder which it'll be?

- The international retirement bug is really going around after this World Cup, as Thierry Henry, who is currently busy training with the New York Red Bulls, has just announced the end of his France career. I know, he’s not a Barca boy anymore, but I felt the urge to report this anyway.

- Remember that cute Brazilian kid we signed last summer, the one who claimed he wants to be the best player in the world someday? After Keirrison spent last season between loans to Benfica and Fiorentina, Pep has decided that he still isn’t ready for the team. Accordingly, the player has been dispatched back to Brazil, this time on loan to Santos.

- Pep has called up all of Barca’s B-team players who aren’t off at the U-19 Euro, to join the first team when preseason training kicks off on Monday. Three cheers for the youth players! I’m most excited about the participation of Jonathan Dos Santos, Marc Muniesa, and Oier Olazábal – anyone of the seventeen players that piques your interest?

Adriano, Officialy A Culé

Adriano's a Barca player, it's official! He arrived in Barcelona today and signed his four-year contract with the club – which includes the option for a fifth year as well as a 90 million euro buy-out clause – but not before stopping to pose for pictures in front of the club’s crest, as per usual with new signings.

What isn’t usual is the club president meeting him out there and posing with him – I’ve covered enough transfers to know that it’s usually just the player alone with the crest. Then again, this is Rosell’s first signing since he became president; and it’s a pretty great signing to start off with, if you ask me! Adriano looks so great here too, I’m loving the longer hair on him after the short-cropped look he’d been sporting in the past.

The player left Sevilla in tears, which as I recall is the same way Dani Alves left that club when he signed for Barca two years ago. What is it about the Andalusian team that makes players so attached? Anyway, Adriano, who will wear the number 21 (previously occupied by Chygrynskiy), will have his press conference and presentation on Monday, although the doors of Camp Nou will be closed during the event since the stadium is undergoing construction work. Does that mean no fans to greet the new signing? That kind of sucks.

Adriano Joins Barca

In a surprising but exciting move, Barca have struck up a seemingly out-of-nowhere, 9.5 million euro deal with Sevilla, confirmed on the official site, for the signing of leftback Adriano Correia (ironically, Adriano’s debut for Sevilla was a 0-4 Liga loss to Barcelona in 2005). Only you can’t fairly call him just a leftback, because he’s like, the most super versatile player ever, being indisputably two-footed, able to play on the right or left of the pitch, in defense or midfield or as a winger. Count on Brazil to come out with a player like that! Yes, he’s now the third Brazilian on the team, after Dani Alves and Maxwell. Interestingly enough, all three are fullbacks…

Oops, I said we weren’t going to call him just a fullback. Annoyingly, there isn’t a postion name for the kind of player he is, so I’ll just have to make one up and get back to you later. In the meantime, we can all ponder on the bizzarely ingenius uses Pep will put him to in the coming season.`

Farewell, Thierry

It's been made official that Thierry Henry is no longer a Barca player, but a New York Red Bull, as announced by the MLS side today. He's already been suited in his new kit too, and he makes it look great. Titi, thanks for all you've offered to the club and best of luck on your new team!

Barca's Striker Issue

Now that the World Cup has ended, summer transfers claim the focus of the footballing world, and so comes my first ramble for this transfer window. In a club where buying transactions can take ages to be completed (or take ages and not be completed), I'm impressed that Villa was signed and sealed before the Cup even began. Then again, we had a whole summer of madness concerning him a year ago leading up to this. Still and all, I for one am relieved that Barca finally signed him.

There's a poll on this blog on the sidebar to right, and I always vote on my own polls. On this one, my choice was option three. It's no secret that I was against the signing of Ibrahimovic right from the start - I blogged about it time and again in the days before it was confirmed, hoping against hope that it wouldn't go through; but in the end it did, and there was nothing left to do but grin and bear it. Its not that I ever had anything against Ibrahimovic himself, but simply that I felt - and still feel - that he's not the type of player who would fit in at our club. I was willing to wait and see how he would do, and I don't think it can be said that he lived up to expectations, especially considering the price we paid for him.

It frustrated me that the club saw Ibrahimovic as a better option than Villa, and turned around and struck up the deal with Inter out of the blue after back-and-forth talks with Villa and his club all summer long. The fact that Villa was signed so quickly now and that Ibrahimovic will possibly be sold shows obvious regret on the club's part. Yes, I'm thrilled that Villa is finally here, but it comes a year late.

I try not to imagine how much better last season would have been had it been Villa and not Ibra on the team, because it doesn't do much good and besides, although a step-down from the historic treble, last season was still pretty amazing, as is winning the Liga for the second time running. Just, with Villa it would have been more, I'm convinced of that. But setting all that aside, can anyone overlook the financial loss to the club because of this whole striker issue?

Not only did the club trade Samuel Goal-Machine Eto'o to obtain Ibra, but on top of that they put 42 million euros, potentially the price of a whole other striker. What we gave for Ibra was so ridiculous that I actually had a moment where I felt like I was supporting Real Madrid. Yes, the transfer was that horrible to me.

Seeing as Ibra was about half as good as he should have been, and we paid double what we should have to get him, that means our benefit from him was really worth like a quarter of what we paid. And then the club lays down another 40 million for Villa to make up for the mess, only that doesn't really make up for it. Valuing Eto'o at forty million, plus the other forty-two, minus the 20 million I say Ibra was really worth for last season's performance, that makes it around a 62 million loss on the player, and that, in case you’re wondering, is no small sum. So unless we can sell Ibra now for sixty million euros (I wouldn't bet on it) this whole striker affair was one fine screw-up.

And all because of what? Because Pep insisted that he wanted Eto'o off the team that summer. The club was kind of cornered, seeing as this deal with Inter was the only way to offload Samu as well as replace him with the transfer window about to close. That part is understandable, though they played the deal all wrong, letting Inter milk the extra 42 million out of them along with Eto'o. The real issue is, was getting rid of Eto'o worth all of this? Would it have hurt so much to let him stay for one more season? He would have done better than Ibra, the club would have saved a ton of cash, he would have left this summer when his contract would have expired, and then enter Villa.

After just one year on the club, our manager had the chant In Pep we trust on the tongue of every culé, mine included. But even though I love him to death, his persistence about selling Eto'o is something I will never understand.