Barca and Arsenal: what’s really happening

Here’s a couple of key points:

First Barca are not rolling in money.   They have to sell their stars before they can move on and start buying.   Yes they have some cash, but not the billions that might be imagined.

Second, the President and the club need to combat the wild statements of Real Madrid.  Having not won the league they need to show that they are rebuilding, and anything Madrid can do Barca can do bigger.

We all remember of course the transfer of Henry to Barca – with the predictions in the press that Barca would rise to the top and Arsenal sink to the bottom.   That transfer went through at the very start of the transfer window as a signal to all Barca fans that they “meant business”.

Of course they meant nothing of the kind – they meant only that they would throw some money at a player with a reputation to rub Real Madrid’s noses in it.  And much good it did them.   Henry is now just a shadow of what he was.

Now if we add to this heady mix the Fabregas affair – in which Arsenal really annoyed Barca by taking away a player of great potential and turning him into an EPL star – while paying Barca only a fraction of what he would quickly become worth.

So, here’s Bara.  Under pressure from Real Madrid, and from its own supporters.   Annoyed with Arsenal at selling them Henry who was clearly not doing very well.  And very annoyed about the Fabregas affair.

Naturally they respond in the only way they know – by trying to disrupt Arsenal.  They spot a potential move for Hleb by Milan, and move in to cause more chaos.   They then do the same with Adebayor.

In short they are saying, “we are going to muck about with everything that you want to do.”

And that bit of childish behaviour gives us one further clue – Arsenal do want to do something.  They want to buy another Bara player.   And Barca are not having it – they are fighting back.  Of course they might end up by buying Ade or Hleb or even both.  If they do, the Curse of Arsenal will ensure it doesn’t do them much good.   And Wenger will only sell if he feels he is getting the best deal.

So it goes.   Nothing to worry about.