PETE JENSON: Barcelona taking £16m Martin Braithwaite destroys LaLiga’s integrity… They are to blame for their own woeful planning and now Leganes face an unjust relegation without their star man
Barcelona have not broken any rules. But the signing of Martin Braithwaite from Leganes in the middle of February totally compromised the integrity of LaLiga.
There are 14 games left and Leganes are fighting for survival one off the bottom. Barcelona’s diabolically slapdash planning this season has left them with just three strikers – one of those, Ansu Fati, a 17-year-old in his first season – and so they have signed Leganes’ best player.
Again, according to the rules they have done nothing wrong, but that’s little consolation to Leganes.
Barcelona have pulled off the controversial £16m signing of Leganes striker Martin Braithwaite
Barca have taken the star striker of the relegation-stricken side in February by using a loophole
Leganes are likely to be relegated, second-bottom of the table and with their best player gone
Braithwaite can’t play in the Champions League because UEFA will not allow him to be registered outside of deadline. He might help Barcelona win the title. His departure probably condemns Leganes – who are not allowed to buy a replacement – to relegation.
Barca are allowed to sign a player now because they have demonstrated that Ousmane Dembele needs more than the minimum five months to recuperate.
Leganes have also lost a player through no fault of their own but because it’s not an injury they must now play through to the end of the season with one fewer squad member. General director Martin Ortega was left fuming in today’s press conference, as he held ‘unfair’ LaLiga to blame.
Barca could only register a new player if he was out of contract or if they paid a release clause. In Spain most players have release clauses.
Leganes’ general director Martin Ortega fumed at the decision in a recent press conference
If a club pays the clause the club has no choice; they lose the player. Barcelona have paid €18m (£15.2m) and off Braithwaite goes.
The situation seems even more unfair because Barcelona’s ineptitude in the market has brought them to this situation. And because Leganes’ great escape was turning into one of the stories of the season.
When Javier Aguirre took over as Leganes’ third coach this season everyone in Spain had played 12 games. They were bottom of the table with five points.
They were six from safety and all the records were being rolled out that no team had ever survived after such a bad start.
But there were two reasons to believe: The 61-year-old Mexican coach was good at this. He had saved teams in similar situations twice before. A great man-manager he would organise the defence and get the good players playing.
And that was the second reason to believe – despite the terrible start, they did have two very good players.
With strikers Youssef En-Nesyri and Braithwaite firing up-front and the charismatic Aguirre putting out fires elsewhere they would be safe.
Leganes boss Javier Aguirre was hopeful of pulling off a miracle and saving the Spanish side
Barca were able to make the deal after proving the extent of Ousmane Dembele’s injury
Then Sevilla rolled up in January and paid the buy-out clause of €20m (£16.7m) for En-Nesyri. It was a blow but Leganes would still be okay. They also had former Southampton striker Guido Carrillo and maybe Braithwaite was the better of their strikers anyway.
The window closed at the end of January. He was still there despite interest from Brighton, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace and Leganes breathed a sigh of relief. They were still in a dog-fight but still had their teeth. Not anymore.
Barcelona also spent January selling forwards. They already knew they were short of striking options with Luis Suarez out but they let B-team centre-forward Abel Ruiz go on loan to Sporting Braga with a £10m obligatory buy at the end of the season. And wide forward Carles Perez was sent to Roma, on loan again with an obligatory buy of £10m plus £2m in adds-ons.
That left them with Lionel Messi, Fati, and Antoine Griezmann as well as the returning Dembele, a talented but sadly injury-prone winger.
The rule needs to be changed. Can release clauses be scrapped? No, because they help clubs to buy promising young players. They pay them lower wages but put low release clauses into their contracts so agents know if their client does well he will not be retained against his will.
Barca carried through with the move despite sending forward Carles Perez to Roma on loan
At international level Braithwaite has seven goals in 39 appearances for Denmark
Another suggestion is that Leganes should be allowed to now replace Braithwaite. But if they then pay the clause of a striker at a second-division side trying to win promotion to the top flight the injustice just gets shifted to a new club.
Does the league allow the chain to continue until it runs its course? Or maybe clubs in Barcelona’s situation should only be allowed to bring in an out-of-contract player?
Whatever the solution Leganes have been left up relegation creek with no paddle. Poor old Aguirre, no doubt he was on a hefty survival bonus. He will need a miracle to earn that now.
