If the UEFA ruling against Manchester City does indeed come to pass and the appeal is unsuccessful, one of the world’s wealthiest and recently successful football clubs will be in a precarious position. FC Barcelona fans will feel like the Catalans could try to take advantage of the situation for their betterment, but that is probably more of a pipe dream than it appears to be after the initial shock of the headline.
Pep Guardiola’s future
The wild card in the entire situation for the football world is whether or not Guardiola’s future in Manchester is affected by this news. He could serve out the remainder of his contract and try to win the double in the UK. He could also use this opportunity to look for another Champions League trophy elsewhere. If the Spaniard is to capture another, isn’t City in two years still a better option than most other clubs?
Barcelona hired Quique Setién as not their first choice. While Xavi or Ronald Koeman seem to be the top choices for Setién’s replacement in case the manager isn’t given past the summer, Guardiola would surely shoot up the queue if available. The former boss’ first concerns seemed to be with the future and disappoint of his players, but it’s not inconceivable for him to want to leave either. With City facing that two year ban and meeting Real Madrid in the Champions League, the odds of Guardiola returning to the Camp Nou sideline any time soon aren’t very high.
Available Players
Guardiola’s fear if the ban is official is losing players who will miss out on Champions League football. However, Manchester City may not have much to fear if players are motivated by weekly wages. Most of City’s players make a weekly wage that is hard to match for any club. Playing for the Premier League title may be enough to keep them around.
It seems like a dream that 19-year-old Eric García could be persuaded to return to his Catalan roots and become Gerard Piqué’s successor. A dream is still a dream. He’s the future of the position in Manchester and will still be just 21 when Champions League football returns. There are other players in the squad that would see an exit first.
Barcelona’s own spending
Manchester City may not have an option to sell off a few players. Without the revenue from Champions League football, and the potential reduction in sponsorship deals and the like that would come with that lack of revenue, City may find themselves in a bind. Those thinking Barcelona could be one of those team’s to capitalize may need to look at Barcelona’s books first.
City and Paris Saint-Germain have been raising eyebrows for a decade for their spending, but that doesn’t mean that Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United don’t also raise an eyebrow or two. If Barcelona fail to make a decent euro from Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Rakitic, and other veterans, spending in the summer won’t be easy. If the board choose to reach for Lautaro Martínez and Neymar to appease Messi, Barcelona could be looking at a future in four of years without both Messi and UCL football themselves.
