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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that Atlético Madrid had "no way to justify" their deliberately obstinate stance during the Julián Alvarez transfer saga this summer.
News of an offer worth €100 million ($116 million) emerged toward the end of May, sparking a tense dispute between the two clubs as Atlético worked hard to block Barcelona's attempts to secure the Argentine's signature, even dismissing Alvarez's own public request to depart.
Atlético consistently maintained they would not negotiate with Barcelona and sought to move Alvarez elsewhere, with Arsenal among the known interested parties, but the striker remained firm in his desire to join Camp Nou. In the end, the summer's most drawn-out saga resulted in nothing at all.
"They acted as if they were offended; they had no way to justify their attitude," Laporta reflected. "We did what's normally done: there was club-to-club communication, and then I personally spoke with [Atlético president] Gil Marín.
"He told me [Alvarez] wasn't coming because they had no alternative. I told him that if they found one, he should let us know.
"Then they reacted in an inappropriate manner. I'm not sure why — I have my suspicions, but I won't voice them publicly as I have no evidence. We kept hearing they would sell him to any club except Barça. Then they dropped the act and said it openly, while acknowledging that we had contacted them.
"That is all in the past now and we are very pleased with the squad we have, and the coach is very satisfied with the outstanding work of Deco."
A Blessing in Disguise for Barcelona
A striker had been a top priority for Barcelona going into the summer, with Robert Lewandowski departing for the Chicago Fire and versatile backup Ferran Torres pushing for an exit before eventually joining Paris Saint-Germain. Alvarez had been the primary target well before the transfer window officially opened.
Had Alvarez been allowed his dream move to Barcelona, he would likely have thrived, though at an enormous cost. He is a gifted forward with a proven ability to find the net in Spain's top division.
With Atlético refusing to budge, Barcelona were forced to think outside the box. Gabriel Jesus was brought in from Arsenal as affordable squad cover, but the pivotal decision came when Raphinha was handed the starting striker role for the new campaign.
What initially appeared to be a temporary fix quickly transformed into the permanent solution. Barcelona's attack has been the finest in the world this season, and Raphinha — with 14 goals and three assists in eight matches — has been central to that dominance.
Would Alvarez have produced such figures? That is impossible to say. Fortunately for Barcelona, they need not dwell on hypotheticals when they have a striker delivering such a stunning impact.
Raphinha's transition to the striker role has not only produced a stream of goals, but has also resolved a selection dilemma for manager Hansi Flick.
Lamine Yamal occupies the right wing, but who else fills out Barcelona's attacking line behind the striker? Anthony Gordon was signed for a significant fee on the left wing, the position where Raphinha spent the majority of last season. The Brazilian could have shifted into attacking midfield, but Fermín López and Dani Olmo are already competing for time there. Flick appeared set to leave someone disappointed, and there was every reason to think Raphinha would be the unhappy one.
Just a few weeks on, however, and Raphinha is riding high.