Turn the clock back a few years, and when the transfer market came around you knew the circus was coming to town at Barcelona.
At that time, we had a clown as president who, in hindsight, oversaw some of the worst transfer decisions in the clubs history.
It wasn’t just that Josep Maria Bartomeu was spending money the club didn’t have on the likes of Philippe Coutinho, but it was his board’s unbelievable decision to offer astronomical salaries well above market rate which almost crippled the club and caused it irreparable damage.
Since Joan Laporta has been back in the hot-seat, dependant on your leanings, he’s either done a remarkably good job (new stadium, big name players etc), or has mortgaged the long-term future of the club on the hope of success in the immediate future.