Beware the danger of false prophets in the form of world-changing transfers
Ferran Torres is here, amid breathless exhalations of rapture, anticipation of the next “missing thing that will make everything right.” Sonnets, tactical breakdowns, a flood of words to greet the new conqueror.
Might wanna hold off on that that a while.
Every transfer is vaporware. Every. Last. One. A new player comes, with a set of skills that get supporters excited, a set of skills relevant to … the last place they worked. And even as almost every transfer gets supporters excited because that’s part of the job of transfers, none of them should until we understand how the player is going to work in the system in which he is placed. In Torres’ case that beloved museum piece known as Barça Football, aka Playing the Right Way (pause here for heavenly hosts to sing).
Ferran Torres is an exciting, talented young attacking player. Like Dembele when he came. And after four years of injuries, false starts and loss of supporter hope comes a manager who has finally figured out how to use him — as a bit of perspective. So what’s next? Who knows. Fati exploded onto the scene, took a bad tackle and went away. Four knee surgeries later he came back, then went away again. Pedri came, got ridden like a rented mule, and broke. Came back, then broke. Came back, then broke. Now he’s back. Maybe. Who knows?
And this isn’t to rain on parades or be a wet blanket. The last big transfer of sorts that the club got was a new president in Joan Laporta, who proceeded to boot the club’s crown jewel to Paris. Revolutions take time. And patience. He billed himself as the only person of the candidates running who would be able to keep Messi, and that made some folks excited, even as it made old grumps with keyboard suspicious.
Messi is now in Paris, living his best (new) life, Barça has moved on, and the next shiny thing is Xavi, who came in on a bed of rose petals and hope, only to run aground on the rocks of reality. A few brave (and sharp-eyed) observers have noted that XaviBall began to enjoy more success with the return of the one player most supporters want to see run out of town on a rail, which in and of itself is fascinating. And Xavi reportedly wanted Torres, and now he has him.
What do we have, except for hope and excitement? A bright new jewel set into a tarnished crown with missing baubles, a faded lining and desperately in need of a jeweler’s touch. Back line, fullbacks, one of the slowest midfields in top-flight football and a keeper who is in the midst of a purple patch. The only person who could fix all that is somewhere on video, dancing with his wife without a care in the world.
On paper, Torres is an interesting signing, a player who moves well and can score goals. Some goals. Every transfer is potential, hype and excitement, three things that supporters suck up like the blood of life. Notice how little has been written about the allegedly dire fiscal situation at FC Barcelona now that the January rumor window has kicked into full form.
Returning to paper, a front line of Fati, Torres and Dembele is quite, quite interesting and potentially productive. I bet Frenkie De Jong thinks so as well. It’s been a long time since Barça could offer a trio as complete and well-matched. Creativity from both flanks, a mobile attacker who can finish in the center. The last time it could offer such a balanced delight, the jewels were in a better setting and that front three propelled the team to the Treble of Doom. Those were fun times until opponents figured out how to manage that trio, which is what football does — react to a stimulus.
On paper the signing makes sense, even if we aren’t all that interested in knowing how a club purportedly in the throes of almost evaporating into receivership were it not for the brave, intrepid man at its helm, could afford a big pile of dosh for a player. There’s fiscal reality, a malleable thing, and fiscal truth, which is that Torres won’t be able to be registered until someone leaves. Woe betide the player who the Barça-centric media outlets say is The One Who Is Keeping the Club From Registering Torres. But that could happen, and we should be prepared for that.
Another thing we aren’t all that interested in knowing is why such a jewel fell from the crown of a petroclub with bottomless resources. Its manager, Pep Guardiola, is laudable for his stance that if a player isn’t happy at the club, he can leave. Barça acquired its last exciting thing, Eric Garcia, that way. That exciting thing is a slow, short, defensively limited CB who can shape a lovely pass. Essential players become so through use, care and feeding. So yes, it’s fair to ask why a jewel fell from the crown.
This player also arrives broken. Per missive from the club not long after his signing was made official: “Tests carried out show that he is recovering well from a fracture in his right foot. He is not available for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.” Uh, oh … The dreaded “his recovery will dictate his return” should send shivers down your spine. He was ruled out for around three months in mid-October. Realistically, this puts him back in action around mid-January, more likely the end of that month for a medical staff that should be justifiably cautious about a foot fracture.
We should also be prepared for Torres falling into the clutches of La Liga defenses and defenders, prepared for the reality not matching up to the excitement. The reality is that FC Barcelona has added a new young talent to a team that is still needs a lot of work, from player movement to psychology and tactical adaptation. That’s it. All the rest is wishful thinking, and if we have learned nothing at all from that cruel intersection of football, hopes and dreams, it should be the danger of wishful thinking.