#10 Change in hiring policy at Barcelona
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There was a time when Barcelona fans spoke with pride about the famed La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy, in glowing terms for having produced fine academy graduates who went on to become stars in the first team.
They reveled in having the bragging rights over the best youth setup in Europe. The likes of Messi, Pique, Fabregas, Xavi and Iniesta have cultivated their trade at La Masia, before becoming household names in world football.
However, Barcelona seem to have ditched their strategy of blooding academy graduates into the first team, and with their new-found financial clout, are opting to bring in established players to bolster their lineups.
While the likes of Munir and Adriano have turned out for the first team in recent times, they are seen as cover for the first team rather than prospects for the future. Coupled with a mass exodus of academy players, either on loan or on permanent transfers, the entire transfer strategy of the Catalan giants seem to have been turned upside down.
The arrivals during this window were Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti, Paco Alcacer, Lucas Digne, Jasper Cillesen and Denis Suarez, while academy players departed during the same period include Marc Bartra, Alen Halilovic, Adriano, Cristian Tello (second consecutive loan), Douglas (loan), Sergi Samper (loan), Martin Montoya, Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi (loan).
