How Neymar’s Price-Tag is one hell of a gamble for Barcelona

A week or so ago, I wrote a piece about Neymar and how he is in dire need of a sensational season. Believe me, I want him to thrive, he's such an exciting player and he's in the prime of his career. Even so, Neymar has been plagued with injuries and off-field issues of late. The most expensive footballer in the world is much more of a gamble than one would think.

I woke up this morning to numerous tweets linking Neymar back to Barcelona claiming he's unhappy at Paris St. Germain. He's also rumored to be pushing for a return to Barcelona and Messi has supposedly spoken out saying that he'd rather be reunited with Neymar than play with Antoine Griezmann who has been linked to Barcelona. I think this has the making of a huge disaster and here's why.

Eurosport

Barcelona is a god damn mess right now. The Spanish giants have an abundance of players on the wrong side of 30 and they have 2 young stars who have been unable to incorporate themselves into the club. I just don't see how selling Ousmane Dembele and Coutinho for a knock-prone Neymar is a solid investment. I don't give a damn who Messi wants to play with Griezmann is the better investment. Yes, perhaps you'll attract a lot of attention with the resurrection of MSN but that will soon fade when Neymar is watching from the stands as he nurses an ankle injury or a suspension of some sort.

If I'm Barcelona, Griezmann is my first priority. The 28-year-old is one of the best on the planet and he's someone you can rely on. He won't be punching fans although he might cook up another documentary about himself. Regardless, a 200 million dollar investment in Neymar is a god damn gamble, to say the least, and there's plenty of talent out there for the taking.

Before looking at potential transfers, let's look at Barca's own squad. The duo of Coutinho and Dembele haven't made the impact that many would've expected them to make but have they been utilized correctly? The answer is absolutely not.

Ghanasoccernet.com

Coutinho
Coutinho jaw-dropping playmaking ability has seen a rapid decline as he's been deployed to the wing. I see him as a true #10 sitting in behind Suarez where he can effectively dictate play. If you're just going to play Messi there, why the hell sign Coutinho? He's an effective winger but he's an even better attacking midfielder and that's where he's been playing for Brazil in the Copa America and he's netted 2 goals in 2 games for country.

Dembele

Marca

Barcelona wanting to rid of Dembele but asking for the same price they bought him for his hilarious. The young French winger has struggled to get his foot in the door at Barcelona and that's hard to do when a bunch of center-mids are taking your playing time at the winger position. Obviously, manager, Ernesto Valverde didn't see anything in him as the 105 million euro man warmed the bench. Barcelona not being able to incorporate Dembele into the team proved detrimental as they were forced to rely heavily on Messi and Suarez for goal-scoring, especially in the Champions League. Dembele should be keen on leaving with Valverde returning as manager next season. The 22-year-old is much more than a bench warmer and there's no doubt a number of teams will jump at the chance to sign him.

There's no doubt that Messi is the best-attacking midfielder in the world. Barcelona should sell Countiho to generate funds and they should deploy Dembele on the width. Should Dembele start? Probably not yet but he needs more minutes and if he isn't going to get them you shouldn't keep him on the bench considering his value. If these two players are sold this summer and Neymar is bought this summer Barcelona could find themselves in the same hole they were in before in which they relied heavily on Messi

CNN

The addition of Dutch star, Frenkie De Jong, will be a huge boost for the team but that has little to do with their attacking woes. Outside of Messi, Barca's attack does little to intimidate and a healthy Neymar would change that. Even so, do you know what type of Neymar you're signing? The one that can take over a game and create chances and score at will? Or the one that faces champions league bans and never-ending injuries? For over 200 mill, the investment isn't a smart one and if Neymar returns to Camp Nou, Barcelona could be right back where they started this summer.