Getty Fans came out in force to welcome Yerry Mina to Barcelona.
Barcelona’s transfer dealings have come under scrutiny in recent seasons with the Catalans giants having brought in a host of players who have struggled to impress at the Camp Nou.
Yerry Mina is one such player who spent just seven months at the Camp Nou before being sold to Premier League side Everton after an underwhelming stint with the Catalan giants.
The defender’s agent at the time was Mario Mauri who has admited in an interview with Italian media that Mina’s move to Barcelona was a mistake, as reported by Diario Sport.
“The biggest mistake in my opinion, when I was with Jair, was taking him to Barcelona,” he said. “He only played a few games in the league and one in the Copa del Rey, and then they let him go. At Everton he grew a lot.”
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Mina Should Have Gone To Sampdoria?
Mauri also added that he thought Mina should have moved to Italian side Sampdoria, who had also made an offer, rather than trying his luck at Barcelona.
“Sampdoria made a formal offer, very good at the time. Some dynamics made Yerry and his uncle lean towards Barcelona,” he added. “He was attracted by others who had an interest in doing this operation, even though it would not have been good for his career. The uncle saw Samp as a reducer of the footballer’s potential. In my opinion, it would have been very good for Yerry, Samp being a great team.”
Mina left Barcelona after making just seven appearances for the Blaugrana. However, the club did make a profit on the center-back. Barca signed Mina from Palmeiras in January 2018 for €11.8 million and sold him in August for €30.25m plus €1.5m in variables.
Barcelona Still Have Issues In Defense
Mina may be long gone at Barcelona but the Catalans still have issues in the heart of their backline. Ronald Araujo has just signed a new long-term contract and looks the future at center-back but it’s not clear who his regular partner will be.
Eric Garcia returned to the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 but has yet to fully convince, while Gerard Pique was a regular in 2021-22 but at the grand old age of 35 is heading towards the end of his career.
French duo Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti have fallen down the pecking order and it would be no surprise if either was sold. Umtiti “will leave” this summer either on loan or in a permanent deal, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
Lenglet could also be heading for a new club. Xavi has already informed the French center-back that he is not in his plans for next season and should look for a new club, as reported by Diario AS.
Barcelona have been linked with bringing in a new center-back in the summer transfer window but their activities may be limited by the club’s ongoing financial difficulties.
One player who could profit from the club’s financial problems is young Barca B defender Mika Marmol. The 20-year-old has impressed for the reserves in 2021-22 and was handed his first-team debut by Xavi in Barcelona’s penultimate La Liga fixture of the campaign at Getafe.
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