Barcelona’s 10 best signings since Neymar left Camp Nou ft. Lewandowski and De Jong | OneFootball

Neymar's move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 shocked the world and in some ways was the start of all the problems the Spanish giants have faced in recent years.

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Big money transfers have been brought in to try and replace the quality the Brazilian contributed to the side have had the opposite impact.

The £200 million fee received for Neymar was a world record fee and that still stands to this day, six years later.

Players such as Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Demblele were signed for more than £100 million but flattered to deceive in their quest to become the next big star at the club.

While La Blaugrana's transfer business hasn't exactly been an overwhelming success over the last six years, there have been some success stories since Neymar departed for Ligue 1 in a world-record deal.

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10 Paulinho

The Brazilian midfielder will be best known to Premier League fans for his underwhelming spell at Tottenham as part of the summer haul of signings to replace Gareth Bale.

Between poor performances and an inability to settle in the side, he did not last very long in England.

That is why it came as quite a big shock to many that Barcelona were willing to spend €40 million to secure his signature from Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou Evergrande in 2017.

Contributing nine goals from midfield while helping the club to the league title meant Paulinho became a favourite within the fan base.

In a bizarre turn of events, he then moved back to Guangzhou just one year later.

9 Jules Kounde

Signed with the expectation of being played in the centre-back position, it is actually the Frenchman's versatility that has earned him plaudits throughout his first season at the club.

Having moved from Sevilla in the summer of 2022, Kounde has featured in multiple positions for his new team but certainly looked more assured on the right-hand side of the defence.

He was even the first choice in that role for France at the 2022 World Cup due to his impressive performances for the Spanish club.

With the financial struggles of the club, Koundé missed the first two league games of the 2022/23 campaign as he was unable to be registered to play.

There is still a lot more to come from the former Bordeaux man as well with him being only 24 years old still.

8 Abde Ezzalzouli

One of the lesser-known names to appear on this list, Ezzalzouli looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.

The winger was signed from Hercules for a nominal fee of around €2 million in 2021 and went straight into the Barcelona B team.

While he has only made 10 appearances for the first team, he has already netted a goal for the club, in a game against Osasuna.

In 2022, he would join Osasuna on a season-long loan deal in which he found the back of the net on four occasions in 28 appearances.

Premier League clubs are reported to have taken an interest in the Moroccan, but Barça will be keen to keep him in their future plans.

7 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang has struggled to find his feet at Chelsea since his move from Barcelona in 2022.

However, his spell in Catalonia was a very successful one.

He only spent six months at the club after a move from Arsenal in the 2022 winter transfer window, but he hit the ground running.

Showing his quality in front of goal that fans were used to during his early years at the Emirates and Borussia Dortmund, the striker managed to net 11 goals in just 18 games.

Averaging more than a goal every two games is impressive by any forward's standards.

It may have been a wise move to remain at the club instead of moving back to the Premier League.

6 Ousmane Dembele

A massive fee of over £100 million was spent to bring the young exciting French winger to Spain in 2017.

Almost seen as a direct replacement for Neymar, despite playing on the opposite wing, the move hasn't panned out as hoped.

Dembele has spent six years at the club now and is still an important player in the plans of Xavi, which indicates he is doing something right.

Only 24 goals in 127 appearances suggests otherwise as he is contributing significantly less in front of goal than his Brazilian predecessor.

Recently turning 26 years old, he still has time to prove any doubters wrong and looks set to be given the opportunity to do so.

5 Robert Lewandowski

This transfer from Bayern Munich in 2022 looked like the most risk-free signing any club could realistically make.

Having racked up a tally of 344 goals in 375 games for the German team, it was apparent Lewandowski would guarantee goals in abundance.

There was a requirement to address the striker position with Aubameyang looking likely to leave at the time.

Lewandowski found the back of the net 33 times on only 46 appearances to prove he still has the ability to be clinical in front of goal despite entering his mid-thirties.

Helping fire Barça to the league title in 2022/23, the Poland international has more than paid back his transfer fee with his contributions over the last year.

4 Frenkie De Jong

De Jong was one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football back in 2019 after starring in Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-final.

The Dutchman got his big move to Barcelona, following in the footsteps of icons such as Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard and Ronald Koeman.

Manchester United hoped to prize him away from Barca in 2022, but the asking price proved to be too much and De Jong went on to be a big part of their La Liga triumph.

He is likely to be the man to fill the enormous gap left in the team by Sergio Busquets, following his departure from the club.

De Jong has already begun playing as the deepest-lying midfielder during the past 12 months.

3 Andreas Christensen

Another player that was seen to struggle during his time in England.

The Danish defender was not at his best for Chelsea in his final season with the club, with many errors and a lack of confidence creeping into his game.

The 27-year-old has really turned his fortunes around since making the move on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract.

Many expected him to be a rotational option at Barcelona, but he featured in 23 games as they sauntered to the title last term.

He was so impressive in fact, that big-money signing Kounde was moved to the right-back position to accomodate Christensen.

2 Pedri

Koeman was the manager when Spanish youngster, Pedri, was signed from Las Palmas in 2020.

He has become an integral part of the midfield for both his club and country in less than three years since making this move.

His technical ability has drawn comparisons to his current manager, Xavi, as well as Andres Iniesta.

While he still has a very long way to go in order to reach the legacy of both those players, he does look set to be the future of the team for the next decade at least.

The ability to very rarely lose possession and control the tempo of a game has been a requirement for Barcelona midfield players for many years and this is exactly what Pedri does best.

He will turn 21 years old just before the half-way point of the upcoming season - and has the potential to star for the club for the next decade and beyond.

1 Ronald Araujo

The Uruguayan defender was picked up for a very small fee back in 2018, and looks to be one of the biggest bargains in recent years.

He has become one of the most talked about players in his position in the space of only five years.

Tall, quick, powerful and intelligent; Araujo has all the tools to become the best centre-back in the world in the coming years.

A disastrous start to his career in Spain saw the defender sent off on his debut, but has since made over 100 appearances for the club.

In a similar vein to Koundé, he has been used in a right-back role in certain games to try and contain wingers such as Marcus Rashford and Vinicius Jr.

If there is one aspect of Araujo's game that could still get better, it is his ability to play out from the back.

Xavi has helped him improve this ability, but he is expected to only get better with more time and experience under his belt.