da bet sport： Earlier on this week I wrote a piece here on the new kind of hybrid transfer/loan deal currently being employed by Barcelona. I called it the ‘Fabregas effect’, such was the mental scar left at Barcelona from them losing a young prospect who went on to become one of the best players in the world, for nothing, and their subsequent pursuit to bring him back to their club.
da bwin： It seems more like a matter of pride and principle for Barcelona, other than any real need for the player. In fact, their pursuit has become more like an unhealthy obsession of Fabregas. After all, Arsenal’s asking price is not an unrealistic one in today’s transfer market, for one of the world’s top players who is also their iconic captain. And Barcelona have had money to spend, but chose to invest in other targets. Their creative central midfield area is also adequately stocked with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta, plus the emergence of the excellent young Thiago Alcantara. It all points to the fact that Barcelona still hurt from losing the player for nothing, and now begrudge having to pay around £40 million for his services, on top of their initial outlay in developing the youngster from the age of 10 when he joined the club, to the age of 16, when he left for London. Of course, none of this would be relevant had Arsenal and Arsene Wenger not continued his excellent development and nurtured him into becoming the world class star he is today, giving him the experience of first team action he most likely wouldn’t have gained consistently (if at all) at Barcelona. Would the Catalans still want him back if his career hadn’t flourished in the Premier League? I think not.
Due to this, as mentioned, Barcelona are now starting to ‘sell’ their younger players with potential, but are unwilling to let them go completely. As a club with a famous youth setup they have many youngsters waiting in the wings for future first-team opportunities. Obviously not all are going to get the chance and look elsewhere to gain first-team action. This hybrid loan/sale system employed on the Bojan and Romeu deals seems to have many advantages: it allows players to gain first team football they wouldn’t necessarily see – giving them greater development, it gives the ‘buying’ club the services of a potential young star for a reasonably cheap fee over a few seasons, and it gives the ‘selling’ club an instant cash injection, whilst most importantly, retaining the rights to the player in the form of a buy-back clause at terms they’ve set, or the potential to make more money by completely selling the player. In essence, they maintain control of the player just in case he turns out to be another ‘Fabregas’.
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It’s not just Barcelona. Sergio Canales has just gone through a similar, if slightly more complicated hybrid type deal moving from ‘parent club’ Real Madrid, to Valencia for two years. Canales was Spain’s brightest young prospect two seasons ago until Madrid bought him last summer – only to then buy Mesut Ozil in his position. A year on Canales has had his development disrupted by a wasted year, mostly spent on the bench. A move away where he will regain first team action will get his career back on track – but Madrid don’t want to lose him completely…just in case, and retain rights. Valencia have secured a buying option of around £11 million and will pay his wages for two seasons, whilst Madrid are allowed to buy him back within that period for around £14 million.
With the seeming benefits of the hybrid deal, would the Premiership elite be wise to follow suit? In particular, the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal who have a wealth of young talent being developed at their celebrated academies with names like Josh McEachran, Raheem Sterling and now Oxlade-Chamberlain tipped as future stars. Yet during a young player’s development cycle, they reach a point where they need first-team action in order to progress, but the first-team may be full. Loan deals to lower divisions have traditionally been used, however, if the player’s potential is seen to be high, a move down could be seen as a step backwards. Some players can also struggle with the different demands the lower leagues bring. The hybrid deal invites clubs of a similar playing level and stature to take on these potential young stars that may normally be out of their price range. The ‘selling’ club can then monitor the youngster’s development, playing at the required level. They also make some short-term instant income, safe in the knowledge that if the youngster turns out to be the star they hoped he would, they have the ‘just in case’ clause.
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