Signings to excite...

Not Coutinho or Dembélé. The first signing Barça are going to make using the €222 million received for Neymar is a Paulinho, a midfielder who has spent two years at Guangzhou in the Chinese league. Those who know say he is a physically strong midfielder and very good defensively. In other words, a perfect replacement for Sergio Busquets. Unless Valverde wants to play with a double pivot, which I really doubt. Paulinho could also play as a right midfielder. In other words, more muscle and less control. This theoretical substitute has cost €40 million. A bit more than Semedo (€30 million + €5 million), who it seems is going to the second choice right back behing Aleix Vidal. In total, €75 million on two substitutes. The club is doing the same as last season, when €120 million was spent on six players (Cillessen, Digne, Umtiti, André Gomes, Denis Suárez and Paco Alcácer) of which only the Frenchman Umtiti is a regular starter under Luis Enrique. Something’s not right with the club’s transfer policy….

The truth is that the first two signings of 2017/18 (as well as the return of Deulofeu) don’t really excite the fans. Particularly when a star like Neymar has been lost. Bartomeu did warn us at the end of last season that “Some names that will excite will arrive as well as some that won’t so much”. Paulinho and Semedo are presumably among those that won’t so much… We hope that Coutinho and Dembélé’s efforts to force through their moves to the Camp Nou pay off to strengthen the squad and to give the fans, who are feeling a bit underwhelmed to say the least, some hope and excitement for the new season. These signings would indeed excite…