Chapter 468: The Transfer Window Opens, Barcelona's 100 Million Euro Offer for Reus
Lin Quan's second goal was the turning point of the match, completely demoralizing Leicester City. Following that goal, Leicester couldn't muster any significant offensive efforts. Instead, towards the end of the match, Manchester City sealed the game with a third goal from Aguero, assisted by Lin Quan. After this assist, Lin Quan was substituted off. Since this was an away game, the substitution wasn't for him to enjoy the applause of the fans, but rather a routine change by Guardiola since the outcome was already decided.
Surprisingly, when Lin Quan left the field, not only did the visiting Manchester City fans stand to applaud, but some Leicester City fans also gave him a standing ovation, acknowledging his superb performance as he had been involved in all three goals.
Even the commentators were taken aback by the applause from the home fans: "It looks like we don't need to pick the MVP; the home fans have done it for us!" "Ha, the home fans applauding an away player, this is the most sportsmanlike match I've seen in a while!" "There's no real animosity between these teams, or else the Leicester fans definitely wouldn't have done this!"
The match didn't deliver the anticipated competitive spectacle, and it was more one-sided than expected. This realization made many fans recognize that Manchester City's dominance in the Premier League was unlikely to be challenged anytime soon. After the match, BBC Sport's headline proclaimed: "The Birth of a Dynasty, A Manchester City Dynasty!"
After defeating their biggest rivals for the title, Guardiola was elated. He praised his players in the locker room before announcing a three-day holiday, which elicited cheers from the team. While a three-day break might seem minor compared to nearly a month's holiday in other leagues, for those in the demanding Premier League, it was a precious break.
Many planned to use this opportunity to spend quality time with their families, making up for the missed Christmas celebrations. Guardiola discussed with Lin Quan about returning to Catalonia to celebrate the New Year with Sara and others, as Manchester's dreary winter weather—constant rain and cold—made staying indoors the only option.
Before making this decision, Lin Quan had consulted with Collins, who also disliked Manchester's weather and happily agreed, suggesting they treat it as a vacation.
"The Premier League is great in all aspects except for this dreadful weather!" Upon landing, the warmth and sunshine of Barcelona contrasted sharply with Manchester, prompting Guardiola to start complaining again. He had previously coached in Germany, where Sara and the children had always been by his side. But this year, as soon as the children were on winter break, Sara eagerly took them back to Catalonia, seemingly unable to bear another second in Manchester, which she felt was a purgatory.
If it weren't for Lin Quan's company, Guardiola mused he'd have been a lonely old man—a sentiment hard to bear. "Honestly, if it weren't for Mr. Mansour's generous support for both me and my son, I'd be reluctant to continue coaching in Manchester." Lin Quan glanced at Guardiola, noting his unusually talkative mood. Was it because he had dropped all his guard and pressure? "Your tactics wouldn't work with a weak team; you need a top club that fully supports you. There aren't many in today's football world that can, and Manchester City is the best choice," Lin Quan stated bluntly, bringing Guardiola back to reality.
Despite his complaints about Manchester's weather, Guardiola really had nowhere else to go. The world might be large, but not many clubs could accommodate his style. "Indeed..." Guardiola didn't argue, knowing Lin Quan's assessment was spot on. The UK's climate had always been like this, particularly dreary in Manchester compared to places like London. If not for the Premier League, Guardiola's options would be severely limited—only really Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona, his former club, always welcomed him back. If Guardiola wished to return, Barcelona would open its doors, especially since he maintained a good relationship with the current president, Laporta, who would likely support him considerably, easing his job.
The only other option was Paris Saint-Germain, like Manchester City, backed by Middle Eastern wealth, clearly not lacking funds. To meet Guardiola's tactical demands, a club needed the financial muscle to recruit high-level players to form the envisioned squad. The controlling playstyle required significant investment, which PSG could afford.
However, PSG's lack of professionalism and its impatience were well-known, lacking the strategic planning of Manchester City's Abu Dhabi backers. Plus, PSG also carried the political task of promoting the Qatar World Cup.
Thus, Guardiola would struggle to find the same level of support in Paris as he had in Manchester. "Let's see how Barca performs this year; if they don't improve, they might need a complete rebuild," Guardiola thought, his feelings about Barcelona complex. As a legendary player and coach, he hoped for the best for Barcelona, but their current situation seemed dire.
"Barcelona's problems are too significant; even if you returned, you couldn't save them. At best, you'd sink with them," he acknowledged, nodding. The aging roster was increasingly problematic, a clear issue for everyone. Many icons of the dream era had retired or left.
Xavi was no longer playing, Iniesta was aging, and Messi was increasingly less visible in his dynamic breaks and dribbles.
A significant factor in Barcelona's decline was the faltering youth academy. Since Bojan, very few La Masia graduates had secured spots in the first team. To worsen matters, after Messi, the only gem, Lin Quan, had been let go by Barcelona themselves.
La Masia's reputation had grown, but its output had dwindled, a far cry from its former glory. Without top youth talent, heavy investment in external transfers was inevitable.
Originally, Barcelona had the foresight to buy Neymar, and his performance met expectations. But the problem was, Neymar was poached by PSG! Although Barcelona got a lot of money, the damage caused by Neymar's departure couldn't be compensated by money alone.
At the beginning of this season, affected by Neymar's departure and Messi's injury, Barcelona struggled in both the league and the Champions League. Though they went on a winning streak after Messi's return and topped their Champions League group, Barcelona's attacking system became lopsided without Neymar. Without Neymar to share the pressure on the wing, the burden on Messi grew heavier.
Opponents noticed Messi's crucial role and started to specifically target and limit him. This made Messi's gameplay much tougher than the previous year, consuming more of his energy. As the league title race and the intense Champions League knockout stages approached, the pressure and match intensity on both fronts were immense. This raised concerns about Messi's fitness and potential injuries. If Messi were to miss more time due to injury, Barcelona might collapse.
Therefore, during this winter break, Barcelona was eager to spend money to find Neymar's replacement. They had their sights set on players like Dortmund's Reus, Atletico's Griezmann, Liverpool's Coutinho, PSG's Di Maria, and even Real Madrid's Rodriguez.
From Barcelona's targets, it was clear they needed young players who were ready to deliver immediately, not just promising talents. These players had one thing in common—they were expensive! Whether it was Reus, Coutinho, Di Maria, or James Rodriguez, acquiring them would likely cost no less than 80 million euros.
The only relatively cheaper option might be Atletico's Griezmann. He had performed exceptionally well at Atletico, winning La Liga with his teammates last year, significantly boosting his market value. However, considering Atletico sold their star striker Diego Costa for only 50 million pounds, bundled with fullback Filipe, Barcelona might secure Griezmann for around 60-70 million euros. Yet, with Atletico's high ambitions this season, Simeone might not want to sell.
As for Griezmann himself, he was reportedly a Barcelona fan since childhood and highly aspired to join the club. If Barcelona approached him, he would likely accept.
Guardiola frowned in thought: if he were Barcelona's current coach, how would he rebuild the team?
Rebuilding was challenging, especially for a top club. Deciding how to handle veteran players, promote new ones, and establish new formations and tactics while ensuring decent performance were all tricky issues. Even during the rebuilding phase, a club like Barcelona had high expectations from fans. They needed to be competitive in La Liga against rivals Real Madrid and at least make it through the Champions League group stages.
This was the minimum to maintain their exposure and commercial value. Failing to qualify for the Champions League or getting knocked out in the group stage would significantly reduce their annual commercial revenue, a major setback for a club needing funds to buy players.
In this era where player values were skyrocketing, acquiring desired players was no easy task. Neymar's transfer fee set by PSG meant that future transfer fees breaking the 100 million mark would become the new norm. For a club like Barcelona, known for overpaying, making a move would surely result in being overcharged.
Thus, investing in their youth academy was crucial. Guardiola suddenly felt curious. With La Masia's reputation and many talented youngsters coming from around the world, could there really be no promising talents left?
It seemed unlikely. When he was at Barcelona, there was a time when the entire team on the field came from La Masia. Back then, La Masia's reputation was far less than it is now, with a smaller talent pool. Given today's broader selection, it was hard to believe there were no worthy successors.
Thinking of this, Guardiola considered visiting La Masia. However, as Manchester City's coach, visiting La Masia might seem like he was poaching from Barcelona. Despite his good relationship with Laporta, this might not be acceptable.
He decided to drop the idea, focusing instead on what players Manchester City might need during the winter break.
On January 1, 2016, the first day of the new year, the football world's winter transfer window officially opened. As expected, Barcelona, having missed the chance to buy players in the summer, quickly made their move. Their first bid was jaw-dropping.
Barcelona offered 80 million euros to Dortmund for Reus. Reus's abilities were well-established, and Barcelona needed such a strong player to share Messi's load. However, Reus was loyal to Dortmund and didn't want to leave, so Barcelona's offer was swiftly rejected: "Want to buy our star player? No way!"
Seeing Dortmund's firm stance, Barcelona turned their attention to PSG, offering 75 million euros for Di Maria. PSG had bought Di Maria from Manchester United in the summer for 65 million euros, so selling him would net a 10 million euro profit—a good deal for them.
But did the Qatari owners need that money? Of course not, so Barcelona's offer was again rejected!
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