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#3 Malcom | Bordeaux
AS Roma were on an impressive run in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League where they dramatically knocked Barcelona out of the competition in the quarter-finals. In the subsequent transfer window, the Italians were on the brink of strengthening even further with the talented Brazilian winger from Bordeaux, to a point where fans gathered at the airport to greet him.
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That plane, though, never arrived as Malcom ditched Roma for a move to Barcelona in the eleventh hour. Despite legal threats from Roma over the hijacked deal, the Brazilian successfully became a Barcelona player under strange circumstances. Despite the dramatic events surrounding his transfer, it was all in vain as the 23-year-old ultimately endured a dismal stay at the Nou Camp. Malcom managed just six LaLiga starts under then-manager Ernesto Valverde and a further nine appearances off the bench, scoring only one goal and assisting two.
Malcom was a victim of the immense competition for places at a club such as Barcelona. This, coupled with the fact that his manager had little to no faith in the winger to throw him into the deep end, resulted in a miserable transfer for everyone involved. Malcom eventually moved to Zenit St. Petersburg a year later for €41m — just €1m less than what Barcelona paid for him.
#2 Paulinho | Guangzhou Evergrande
There were a few eyebrows raised when Barcelona announced the purchase of Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Paulinho for a whopping €40m. The Brazilian, an undoubtedly effective if not an aesthetically pleasing player, was a rather strange signing at the time. There appeared to be a stylistic mismatch between the club and player, but it was a move that ultimately plaid dividends.
Paulinho brought a sense of energy and athleticism to the Blaugrana midfield, which were traits that their midfield lacked at the time. He gave Barcelona a more direct way to attack and found goals from midfield as well, as the Brazilian scored nine in his 49 games for the club. Paulinho earned manager Valverde's trust and started 21 games (and 13 off the bench) in LaLiga — which is more than what Arthur has had in his stay at the club. The former Tottenham Hotspur man became a cult hero at the club, and occasionally bailed them out of trouble with a last-ditch tackle or a clutch goal.
Despite the enormous success that Paulinho saw in their domestic double-winning season, he was subsequently loaned back to Guangzhou Evergrande the following year. It was a one-year loan deal with an option to purchase, which the Chinese did for €42m — Barcelona's third-highest sale in their history. Paulinho departed as strangely as he arrived, but he was a signing that had an unexpected impact.
His departure that was never explained upon in detail and that is what makes this a strange deal.
#1 Kevin-Prince Boateng | Sassuolo
While Paulinho appeared to be a strange signing on the face of it, he was a player that had a notable impact on the club. Kevin-Prince Boateng, on the other hand, is a different case entirely. The Ghanian was as baffling a signing if not more than that of the Brazilian, and failed to leave any impression at Barcelona at all at Barcelona.
After playing 13 league games for Sassuolo in 2018/19, the journeyman completed a shock loan deal to Barcelona in the winter window and stayed at the Nou Camp for six months. However, his stay left no impact at the club whatsoever, and he was barely included in matchday squads let alone be involved in first-team football. The Ghanian star played three LaLiga games, totalling to 240 minutes of football for the club as a wildcard option at centre-forward. He had no goals or assists to show for at Barcelona across any competition, and perhaps his most noteworthy contribution was to Barcelona's list of bookings after picking up a yellow card in a dead rubber fixture against Celta Vigo.
Boateng ultimately left Barcelona after the expiry of his loan deal and moved to Fiorentina. Although this deal had no worrying financial ramifications for the Catalans — having paid just €1m to secure his loan — it remains the epitome of the terrible transfer business conducted by Barcelona. By all accounts, it was one of the most baffling football transfer in recent times.
Also read: 5 Best players signed by new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman
