"The 90th-minute hero" at the Bernabeu: how Barcelona lost Espi to Real Madrid

Deco rejected him and the Merengue snatched him

Barcelona were hunting a decisive striker to plug the gap left by the numbers of Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Behind the scenes, the transfer window threw up a controversial call inside the Camp Nou corridors. Its protagonist was former Valencia striker Carlos Espí, who ended up pulling on the shirt of rivals Real Madrid.

So why did Barcelona reject Espí when he was sitting right there on their table? According to journalist Siqui Rodríguez on the programme "Què T'hi Jugues", the answer boils down to one phrase: the financial gamble.

The Catalan club had studied Espí during the summer, and Deco rated him as a good player with room to develop. Then the management hit the release clause, set at 25 million euros. Barcelona refused to pay that for a player who would not start under Hansi Flick.

Rodríguez said: "Carlos Espí was offered to Barcelona, who consider him a good player. But they rejected him, for reasons including their unwillingness to pay 25 million euros for a player who would not be a starter."

Barcelona's alternative plan: a 1.5 million gamble

The decision followed the collapse of the main plan. Barcelona had targeted Julián Álvarez plus another effective striker to make up the 39 goals Lewandowski and Torres scored together last season, but Atlético Madrid slammed the door shut on the Argentine's exit.

With out-and-out strikers scarce on the market, Flick and Deco chose not to gamble. They leaned on temporary internal fixes instead, pushing Raphinha into the striker role, with Gordon, Adeyemi and Dani Olmo all options in the same position until January at least.

Barcelona's real punt at centre-forward carried another name, one costing 16 times less. Rodríguez explains: "The gamble is on Hamza Abdelkarim, he cost 1.5 million euros, he is young, and they believe he can be an alternative option, a decisive striker. A gamble worth 1.5 million euros is reasonable, whereas a gamble worth 25 million euros is more dangerous."

Real Madrid seize the golden opportunity

Real Madrid cleverly pounced on the Catalan hesitation. After Gonzalo left for the Premier League, the royal club needed a replacement striker badly, and they wrapped up the Espí deal in a lightning operation.

The striker, who arrived from Levante, wasted no time in answering. He came off the bench in the first two matches. Then he proved decisive against Espanyol, striking the winner in the 90th minute just 10 minutes after coming on. Barcelona had perhaps lost a gamble they could have won.