There is no doubt that any manager on Earth would want Lionel Messi on their team. Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel and Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp have already made that point, while also adding that signing Messi is simply beyond their financial capabilities.
Nevertheless, despite Barcelona's fierce resistance to Messi’s departure and the legal complexities that could ensue, Manchester City seems very eager to sign the Argentinian superstar. With UEFA reluctant to punish its Financial Fair Play violations, City seems emboldened to make its biggest move since the club was bought by the City Football Group, directly funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Even if Messi’s transfer to City goes smoothly, it could still be a huge gamble for the club.
The first and most obvious issue with Messi's transfer is naturally him not playing for another team in his entire career. Unlike Ronaldo, who played in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy, Messi has remained in the same club. Leaving warm Barcelona where everyone speaks Spanish to cold and rainy Manchester where he has to speak English could definitely become an issue. When the investment is this big, all the little details become extremely important.
The second issue is the potential negative impact this transfer can have on the City dressing room. When a figure like Messi comes to a club, he is expected to lead the team and become the most important player. With so many other high-profile, high-ego players like Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Agüero and others, Messi’s presence in the locker room might change the dynamics in the team. It could be quite hard to get him used to the team, the city and the new playing style, while also keeping the squad confident and balanced.
The last issue is actually what Barcelona has suffered in the last three to four years: becoming too dependent on Messi. During Guardiola’s time in Barcelona, Messi’s incredible talent was in harmony with the overall tiki-taka strategy of the team. His dribbling skills were used responsibly without putting too much pressure on his shoulders. In the last three to four years, especially after Guardiola, Neymar, Xavi and Iniesta left the club one by one, his responsibility as the "problem solver" has become more and more burdensome. This issue gradually poisoned the very foundations of the team and eventually led Messi to leave his club.
As Liverpool dominated the last season and Guardiola is looking for a response, Messi’s transfer, albeit possibly extremely helpful for many reasons, has the danger of making City an even more confused team. The potential rewards of this transfer are extremely juicy, but the risk, especially the crazy transfer fee of 700 million euros ($832.70 million) demanded by Barcelona, is equally high in my opinion.
