Crisis at the Camp Nou: Has Neymar exit left them facing season of misery?

Neymar has gone, and there is no sign of a replacement. To make matters worse, Messi still hasn’t put pen to paper on a new contract. With three days to go until the season kicks off, Barcelona are running out of time to fix things.

When looking for the party responsible for the team’s plummeting demise, it is hard not to think of Neymar. ‘Things have happened in the pre-season that have not helped us’, Valverde said on Wednesday night, surely referring to the Brazilian’s surprising departure.

However, while it was not made public, the players and the club knew the striker’s exit was imminent back in June. There has been a lack of action by the club, who now face a race against the clock to re-build a competitive squad before the window closes.

The fans have started to react, pointing fingers at the club’s directives. They want the president to stand down, with ‘Bartomeu resign now’ a global trending topic.

The club have stated that they are ‘close’ to bringing in top targets Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, but their respective clubs deny such allegations. Having pocketed £198 million for Neymar, Liverpool and Dortmund intend to capitalise on the Catalans’ wealth.

There is a sense of urgency around the Camp Nou. On Thursday, they presented Paulinho. A 29-year-old who has spent the last two seasons in the Chinese Super League, and Barca have spent 40 million euros on the Brazilian. More than Madrid paid for Modric, Isco or Kroos back in the day.

The defence continues to be a weak spot for Valverde’s team, who are yet to bring in a high-calibre recruit to play alongside Pique. They will likely spend the money they got for Neymar on Coutinho and Dembele, and hope they can bring in a new defender.

As Real Madrid’s exponential growth continues, it is hard to see Barcelona reaching their heights. In the meantime, Barca supporters continue to look for somebody to blame for the crisis. Could that someone be Neymar?