Neymar Jr.’s potential Barcelona return: Breaking down the financial and tactical impact – Analysis | OneFootball

When Al-Hilal signed Neymar Jr. from PSG a few seasons ago, everyone assumed it would be the last of the Brazilian superstar in Europe, effectively putting an end to speculation about a potential homecoming to FC Barcelona.

Neymar left the Catalan club in unceremonious circumstances in 2017 in a transfer that sent ripple effects across the world of football. One can say with some assurance that it changed the landscape of the footballing world since and was the catalyst to Barcelona’s unprecedented financial turmoil.

It is somewhat ironic to be saying that the biggest sale in the history of football [€222 million] was the catalyst to financial turmoil for the selling club but when you have a lot of money and choose to spend it in the wrong avenues, it is bound to come back to bite you.

Barcelona have still not recovered from the effects of that financial turmoil although they do look like they are out of the choppy waters for now. While Neymar cannot be faulted for the decisions the club made after the sale, fans did not like the fact that he left in the first place.

Even for the Brazilian personally, although he played the best football of his career at PSG, he simply wasn’t loved and adored the same way by the fans at Parc des Princes as he was at Barcelona, and he has since tried to make the return on a number of occasions.

Neymar is now currently at Santos in Brazil on a short, 6-month contract as he looks to work his way back to full fitness following an ACL injury and in recent days, top-tier journalist David Ornstein has revealed that he dreams of a return to Barcelona next season.

Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images

Putting some context

Neymar is 33 years old and nowhere close to the prime years of his career. He has played 13 games of competitive football in the past two seasons and his physicality has taken a huge hit following the numerous injuries his body has taken over the course of his career.

The Brazilian is no longer the version of the player that played for Barcelona all those years ago. He doesn’t have the pace to maraud down the left flank and has moved into a more central, creative figure in recent seasons.

From a broad perspective, there seems to be no practical sense to this transfer. He seems to be a very bad fit for Hansi Flick’s plans in terms of the profiles in the current squad, and why would Barcelona even want to go back to Neymar?

Digging deeper

As mentioned before, Neymar joined Santos on a short-term contract and he has scored thrice and provided three assists in seven games. He seems to be on a mission to be in the perfect possible shape for the 2026 WC and thinks he needs to be playing in Europe next season to make it happen.

We covered a story a few days ago that Neymar’s agent Pini Zahavi is the driving force behind making this deal happen for his client. The 33-year-old has some unfinished business at the Catalan club and he feels this is the perfect time to return.

What makes this transfer even remotely possible is that for the first time since Neymar left the club, he is actually a financially viable option for Barcelona. He will be a free agent in the summer and as long as he takes a relatively low wage, the club should be able to afford this.

Joan Laporta is an extremely clever politician and knows that the presidential elections for the next tenure are not too far away. Signing a marquee player like Neymar (even if his stocks have dipped in recent times) will help him earn some goodwill with the fanbase.

Moreover, Barcelona are soon set to move to the renovated Spotify Nou Camp and a player like Neymar will help sell out the stadium and earn the club a lot in terms of marketing and off-field aspects, irrespective of whether it benefits them from a sporting sense.

Neymar through the years

It is very evident from the above graphic how Neymar’s potential as a winger is reducing with every passing season and how his presence as a creative playmaker is on a rise, even during his time at PSG during the latter years.

The dribbles, carries and attacking actions in general have been dwindling while on the other hand, the assists, key passes and xG+xA numbers seem to be improving. He hasn’t played enough since, but one can understand the pattern we are talking about.

The elephant in the room

As much as one tries to make sense of the transfer, from a sporting sense, it is very difficult to see sense in this transfer. Emotionally yes! Financially yes! However, it remains to be seen if Hansi Flick even wants Neymar in his squad.

It is time to address the elephant in the room. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is one of the most high-pressing teams in Europe and the only reason this is possible is all 11 players on the pitch contribute equally to defense with no exceptions.

Even a 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski is expected to press as advised by Hansi Flick and there is a marked difference in Barcelona’s pressing when the Pole plays and when Ferran plays instead of him, since the Spaniard is even better off the ball.

Neymar has never been a player who has been defensive astute or committed, and has often been given a free license in the teams that he has played at so far. This is one of the main reasons the Messi-Neymar-Mbappe triumvirate didn’t work as expected in Paris as all three of them preferred to be exempt from defensive duties.

Unless the Brazilian has the ability to turn over a new leaf and press up-front as Hansi Flick expects him to, there is a chance that he disrupts what has been an excellent system by the German coach. Thus, Barcelona need to be wary of this.

So, where does Neymar fit in?

Hansi Flick has largely played with the 4-2-3-1 at Barcelona so far this season and that is the system that we are going to be taking into assumption for this section. So where exactly can Neymar play in the line-up, should he make the move to Barcelona?

As mentioned earlier in the article, Neymar’s game has changed over the years and he is no longer a left-winger. Thus, this is not a position that is a viable option for him in Hansi Flick’s team with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal set to keep their places.

One would assume that realistically, Neymar can occupy two positions in the team sheet – the number 10 and the number 9 roles. As a #10, the Brazilian can use his excellent creativity, close control, vision and passing range to influence play.

Alternatively, he can start as the number nine but play in a false nine capacity. This would allow him to drop deep, orchestrate play and spray passes over the top or thread them through a needle for the runners ahead of him.

Conclusion

As much as we try to make sense of a potential Neymar signing at Barcelona next season, there doesn’t seem to be much sporting value to it. Idealistically speaking, the Catalan club does not need to sign the 33-year-old superstar.

However, not everything in football happens only for sporting reasons and there is so much more to this transfer saga than that meets the eye. Thus, it remains to be seen if Joan Laporta brings the Brazilian back to the Catalan club and let’s wait and see how it plays out.