The last day in each transfer deadline in soccer is extremely exciting for everybody. This summer, Barcelona was possibly the most interesting team with lots of moves made. In this final opportunity, one of Xavi’s players ended his relationship with the Blaugranas and hours later signed with one of their biggest rivals in LaLiga.
After huge signings like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, amongst others, Barcelona needed to release some players for the salary cap. It was really important for them to do this before the deadline day in order to seek for the last pieces they wanted from the transfer market.
The Blaugranas were expected to transfer Frenkie de Jong, but they decided to keep him for more time. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure to Chelsea, there was another piece left that they needed to release, but they didn’t expect that their former player would sign with a classic rival hours after they ended their relationship.
Martin Braithwaite joins one of Barcelona’s biggest LaLiga rivals
Martin Braithwaite made things tough for Barcelona this summer. The club wanted to end his contract by mutual decision, but the forward didn’t agree to it until the last day of the 2022 summer transfer window.
In the beginning of this last day, both parties agreed to end their relationship and Martin Braithwaite became a free agent. But hours after the contract termination, it was revealed by Fabrizio Romano that the Danish striker would join RCD Espanyol for this season.
Espanyol and Barcelona share city in Spain and their Derby is one of the most intense matches in LaLiga. Of course the Blaugranas‘ reaction was not the best as the forward made things even more complicated during the summer and at the end he accepted the contract termination to join their classic rivals until June 2025.