Sunday 10 February 2008

Transfer period analysis: Winter 2008 (1)

In
The Barcelona board declared in December that they wouldn't sign anyone in the January transfer window. Because second goalkeeper Albert Jorquera got seriously injured playing for Catalunya in mid season, sports director Txiki Begiristain still had to enter the market. The sixth month solution was found in the Segunda División: Celta Vigo goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto (32) was signed on loan till the end of the season.

In my opinion Barcelona did a great job in solving this unexpected problem. They had to improvise but came up with what seems the perfect guy: Pinto has probably the class, he can play all competitions, he has experience in the Liga ànd the Champions League, he accepts his status as back up and he only costed 500 000 euro (with the possibility to get him for free in June).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree this was a nice piece of transfer work, but why did they include the clause they can take over Pinto for free in June, when the board at that time already had offered Jorquera a renewal?

pep said...

It's indeed not very logic, since they promised Jorquera minutes before he would have surgery that they'll renew the contract. And I don't think they plan to have three first team goalkeepers.

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