Football Transfer Update: Ibrahimovic Left Camp Nou in a Disgraceful Manner
Speculations about Zlatan Ibrahimovic are finally over, as the player was signed by AC Milan on a loan deal. However, Milan reserves an option to buy the player next year on a fee of only €24 million.
These speculations were going on for a very long time. Sometimes Ibrahimovic committed himself to the club, while at other occasions he showed his unhappiness over his possible position under Pep Guardiola. The main problem was that the Swede had a bad season before him, due to which he had no standing in Barcelona. It was discretion of the manager, either to let him leave or stay at the club.
In addition, Pep Guardiola strengthened his squad during the summer, with the signing of one of the best strikers in the world, David Villa. This gave clear signals to Ibrahimovic that he is no longer necessary for the club. On the contrary, his role would have been significantly reduced in the new set-up, as Pedro also seemed to make his way through the senior players at Barcelona.
However, during the summer it was reiterated by Ibrahimovic and his manager, Pep Guardiola that he would not move away from Catalunya. On the other hand, Ibrahimovic’s agent paid no heed to such remarks. In the transfer market, he continued to make speculations about the Swede, thus disturbing the relationship between the player and his team. Therefore, Ibrahimovic remained in the news, as many clubs seemed interested in hiring his services.
Finally, towards the end of the summer, Ibrahimovic looked certain to move away from Camp Nou, as talks with AC Milan began, over possible signing of the player. At this point, Barcelona decided to move against Ibrahimovic’s agent for creating speculations in the market. The officials at Barcelona said that the agent acted irresponsibly to move Ibrahimovic away despite his commitment. The player had only arrived at Camp Nou after a big deal involving swap of Samuel Etto and an extra 45 million Euros.
Now, due to all this speculation, Barcelona had to let the player go on a loan deal. AC Milan reserves the right to buy the player in next season for a meagre amount of 24 million Euros. This is a significant loss of investment by Guardiola, as the signing has proved to be nothing more than a waste of money. On the contrary, Ibrahimovic has also agreed to a pay-cut in his new club, due to lack of resources at Milan.
When things were getting ugly, Ibrahimovic decided to say a few words against Guardiola. Before leaving Spain, Ibrahimovic blamed Guardiola for the strain in the relationship, and said that the manager acted irresponsibly. Guardiola did not speak with his player for a very long time, almost during the end of last season. Due to these peculiar circumstances, the Swede felt insecure in Barcelona. Apart from that, Ibrahimovic showed his happiness over leaving Camp Nou and joining AC Milan.
There is no doubt that Barcelona did not want the player to go initially. However, they had to go for it once the speculations went wild. Ibrahimovic was also a part of Spanish team in Super Cup, while he scored his team’s only goal in first leg. Therefore, it was apparent that he has a role to play in the current team. However, there was an equal probability that he would have been dropped as the season had progressed. Guardiola had a lot of other players who might have been more reliable and better match-winners.
AC Milan has strengthened its squad with this signing; however, there has not been any significant impact on Barcelona’s situation. They remain a giant, with a lot of other options to fill in for the Swede, who was becoming a constant burden for Guardiola.
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