Lewandowski A, Bellerin F: Grading every Barcelona signing this season

Tom Weber

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:37 CDT
• 5 min read

Has Barcelona's transfer business been good or bad this season? Let's grade their signings.

The Blaugrana have won their first LaLiga title since 2019, so naturally one would be inclined to think that their transfer business has all been great this term, but is this really the case?

Barcelona signed eight players who can be categorised as first-teamers in 2022/23, half of them were free transfers due to the club's dire economic situation. Let's take a look at how these new faces fared in their first season in Catalonia and how Xavi integrated them into his title-winning squad.

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Raphina (€58m from Leeds United): Grade B

On one hand, 10 goals and 12 assists in 46 games across all competitions is a solid return in your first season at a new club during which you helped your team claim a league title. On the other, however, there is the economic aspect.

Raphina was signed for €58 million from Leeds United and given Barcelona's being strapped for cash, one must wonder if that was a necessary signing. You can't argue with the Brazilian's performances, but you have to question how his signing exacerbated Barcelona's economic struggles, therefore we'll give him a B rather than an A.

Jules Kounde (€50m from Sevilla): Grade B

We can keep this short as the same applies to Jules Kounde. The Frenchman enjoyed a good first season at the Camp Nou, marshalling one of the best defences in Europe. His price tag of €50m and its effect on Barcelona's finances, however, mean that we can again only dish out a B here.

Robert Lewandowski (€45m from Bayern): Grade A

Like Raphina and Kounde, Robert Lewandowski also arrived for a sizeable sum of money. The difference, however, we believe is that he has been so important to Barcelona, that not even the €45m splashed on him by broke Barcelona can diminish his grade.

With 31 goals and seven assists in 42 games across all competitions, Lewandowski has to be considered a transfer coup. He gets an A from us.

Pablo Torre (€5m from Racing Santander): Grade D+

'Who?' non-Barcelona fans will ask now. Pablo Torre is a midfielder who was bought from Racing Santander for €5m last summer. He only played 10 times for the first team, contributing a goal and an assist.

He was never going to be a regular starter for the first team, though. The 20-year-old was a signing for the future and he is yet to show his best. The fact that Barcelona paid a fee for him and that he only rarely featured, however, means that we can only give him a D+ despite his potential.

Franck Kessie (free transfer from AC Milan): Grade C

Franck Kessie struggled to break into the Barcelona starting line-up, only featuring in 776 minutes this season. In that time, he hit three goals and three assists.

This means that though he arrived on a free, he was ultimately not the most successful signing the Blaugrana could have pulled off. His dramatic late winner against Real Madrid, which essentially decided the title, means that we'll still give him a solid C, though.

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Andreas Christensen (free transfer from Chelsea): Grade B-

You can neither argue with Christensen's performances this season, nor can you argue with his price since the arrived on a free transfer. What you can argue with, however, is his availability.

The 27-year-old Dane's biggest opponent this term was his own body, which kept him out of action for 15 games. His fitness issues restricted him to just 28 appearances, yet he still played more minutes than a mostly fit Kessie, therefore we'll give him a B-.

Marcos Alonso (free transfer from Chelsea): Grade C

Like Christensen, experienced defender Marcos Alonso also arrived on a Bosman from Chelsea. Also like Christensen, the veteran didn't play as much as he perhaps would have liked to.

The 32-year-old was mostly a peripheral figure, being generally used as a substitute despite being fully fit for the entire season. He still featured in 33 games and was surely a big influence in the dressing room, thus he gets a C from us.

Hector Bellerin (free transfer from Arsenal): Grade F

Lastly, definitely the worst signing of the lot: Hector Bellerin. The Spaniard made what appeared to be a triumphant return to his boyhood club, but that proved to be a mirage.

An injury kept the right-back out for two months and he ended up only making seven appearances for Barcelona. By January, he had been sold to Sporting CP of Portugal. He gets an F.