When will FC Barcelona return to the days of CMS? And by that, we don’t mean Content Management System, as no, this not a post about WordPress version 6.3. Just a few years ago, you had the very high priced front line of Phillipe Coutinho, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scoring goals and wowing supporters. Now the Coutinho-Messi-Suarez (CMS) trio has long left Catalonia, with the thought being that Ansu Fati might serve as the focal point for which the Blaugranes will rebuild their attack.
It won’t happen this year, as Fati is joining Brighton & Hove Albion on loan for this season. It has been confirmed, via multiple outlets, on this summer transfer window deadline day eve.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Brighton will cover almost 80% of Ansu Fati’s salary, with the documents being checked and approved by both clubs as we speak. That is a big chunk of change, as Fati is fourth highest on the Barcelona salaries list. He makes €268,269 a week, or €13,950,000 Euros annually, so it’s clear what’s going on here, for both clubs. At the Camp Nou, it’s about shedding salary and saving money. The cost of all the Barcelona wages for players has been a big factor towards creating all the notorious financial issues at the Catalan Club, which have been well documented. Selling Ousmane Dembele, the man they acquired from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for €105 million (they had a lot of cash to splash then after just achieving the Neymar sale, a record that somehow still stands today) helped.
Dembele moved over to Paris Saint-Germain for €50.4 million earlier this summer. His salary is now off the books, but you still have Robert Lewandowski making a whopping €400,577 per-week and €20,830,000 annually.
That is second only to Frekie de Jong, who makes an utterly crazy €37,500,000 per year and €721,154 weekly. No wonder he didn’t actually go through on making the switch to Manchester United last silly season. With a paygrade like that, it’s easy to see why that was arguably the most tedious and irritating transfer saga, for a move that didn’t happen, of all-time. But as Barcelona, the defending LaLiga champions are in selling mode, Brighton, are all about buying. This move for Fati shows a true statement of intent.
Last season’s surprisingly high finish in the Premier League netted them their first ever berth in European football for this season.
They are not content to just make club history, they are aiming to make this regular thing, and splashing the cash to bring Fati over for 2023-24 will certainly help them reach their goals.
The Seagulls are a club with a lot of the fastest rising young stars in the PL. In some ways, they are the new Borussia Dortmund, when it comes to buying low and selling high. Look at all the money they received for selling Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. In the case of the latter, it made history as the most expensive transfer buy for any English club. Brighton did some great business with Chelsea last summer as well, parting ways with flop defender Marc Cucurella.
With the added revenue stream from UEFA competition, plus a really nice overall ledger on the summer transfer window for 2023, Brighton are making money and going places! Adding Ansu Fati to their core of talented youngsters just solidifies that.