Why Mbappe links are exactly what FC Barcelona fans need
By Jim James
Shock news today are saying that FC Barcelona are in the race for Kylian Mbappe and are willing to pay him 90 million euros as a signing on bonus. Think about it. Free transfers are sort of Barca’s thing, Barca need a leader in attack, the offer is more than Real Madrid’s, this seems like a good fit that would see Barca’s next generation pretty much settled. However, there is one more thing that it is crucial to doing whether he signs or not: Providing hope to these fans.
Back in August, links had it that Barca had Lionel Messi locked up for another few years, and that a new contract would be announced in the next 1-3 days. Then came the bombshell. It’s still an emotional topic today. I made a post on that if you wanted to read it, and that was when Barca’s fan morale started to plummet. Since 2019-20, we had really been hurting, and Bob and I had just been unsatisfied. We were 2 chokes away from a treble in 2018-19, and we wanted the Champions League. Looking back on it, I laugh at our Naivety. We had a trophyless 2019-20, followed by Messi wanting to leave but forced to stay, then wanting to stay after a good 2020-21, and things were finally looking up, like Barca were getting close to being good again, then one of the worst months in the history of our club slaps us. The only bright spots in August and September were Gavi and Pedri’s good play, and Ansu Fati’s immediate return. We also were dominated in a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid, a 3-0 Loss to Bayern and a 3-0 Loss to BENFICA. Combine that with a 4 points we should have got and would have got with Messi vs Granada and Cadiz, and you’ve got a battered fanbase. One in need of a hero.
At this point in time, that hero can’t be Ansu Fati. As good as he has looked, we need a dynamo in attack. One that can put in good performances week in and week out. Depay has looked good but nowhere near that and Sergio Aguero has played less than 45 minutes as of yet. A player who can be the dynamo; Kylian Mbappe. While all signs over the past 3-4 years (I meant years) have pointed to Real Madrid, AS have suggested that Mbappe could be swayed by a Barca offer, and that Barca is offering a tasty 90 million euro signing on fee.
Before you say that “Oh, Mbappe is a Real Madrid fan, he’d never join Barca” and “Barca can’t afford him”, I have counter arguments to both of those. Firstly, It is a FALSE NARRATIVE that Mbappe is a Real Madrid fan. He was a Ronaldo fan, with several media outlets suggesting that he actually supported Chelsea. Another counter point to that, several other, credible outlets said that Mbappe had his heart set on FC Barcelona in 2017, but they chose Ousmane Dembele. Sure, that may have changed since Barca sold Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and he thrashed them in the Champions League, but that shows that Mbappe isn’t 100% against joining Barca. For the second point, Barca may be able to recoup 90 million pounds this January and Summer – if they play their cards right. Reportedly, Newcastle’s first attacking target to join Allan Saint-Maximin is Ousmane Dembele, and with the pockets of the owners, we may be able to get 30-50 million euros for him, and at the prospect of being the only way to get Kylian Mbappe, anyone in their right mind would sell Depay, Kun Aguero, and/or Antoine Griezmann (don’t forget him) for the rest of the money needed, clearing up space in the pocket book and the front line, killing off 2 birds with one stone.
Finally, the last thing this transfer would be good for is hope in the fanbase. The team is financially stripped, making them do poorly, making the fans’ mood dismal, having them stopping buying tickets, making them financially stripped, making them do poorly, in a nasty cycle, like cogs on a wheel. An Mbappe signing wouldn’t just break the cogs, but the wheel itself. I’ll leave you on that thought. Jim James signing off.