I chose to begin the new season's E-SPN columns and thank you to E-SPN, particularly James Martin who said it was okay to read these for socials.

I chose to begin by looking at the arrival of Robert Livandowski to Football Club Barcelona. It's a fascinating subject it's one which as part of Barcelona's extraordinary summer.

Genuinely one of the most extraordinary things I've witnessed in my time in football journalism.

The amount of debt, the need to clear people out, the way in which they've gone out and sought

a means to sell their future in order to gain quick money now, how they've spent it, the

squad and team that they're assembling.

All of that is simply remarkable.

It's caused a probium from most largely from England, but Julian Nagelsman at

Byron also had a little dig at them. There's been a feeling I think that it's not just what

Busona are doing. There's been a lot of misreporting, there's been a lot of

misunderstanding and there is no question in my mind that only an

extraordinary return of success can justify the way in which Barcelona have kissed goodbye to a lot of

future revenue in order to have jam today.

That's the expression, isn't it?

Jam today?

Crusts tomorrow. But at any rate Leavendowski is at or around the most

expense of their investments. If the outlay for Rofina might have been a

little bit more Raffina isn't being might have been a little bit more.

Raffina isn't being paid what Lévindowski's being paid.

I come to that in the column.

And therefore, his arrival, his age,

has been examined in some aspects, but I genuinely felt that there was one major aspect which has gone

...