The summer of 2019 was a time which Barcelona fans may look back on as being pivotal for the future of the club.
Barca were looking to come back strongly after their dramatic elimination from the previous season's Champions League, while manager Ernesto Valverde was trusted with a big transfer budget, having won La Liga in 2019. Three years on, though, and most of the group have gone - including Frenkie de Jong, who looks poised to join Manchester United in a deal worth an initial £56m.
De Jong joined off the back of a breakout season with Ajax, helping the Dutch side reach the Champions League semis themselves. However, the six signings were a mix of young talents, apparent sure things and a bit of squad padding.
The only thing Uniting the five who signed alongside the Dutchman is their failure to make the desired impact at Camp Nou. Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at those signings and what came next.
Emerson Royal
De Jong was one of three new arrivals confirmed on July 1, with Emerson another. However, the deal for the Brazil international had been announced in January in a joint operation with Real Betis.
The right-back had spent the previous campaign on loan at Betis from Atletico Mineiro, and returned to Estadio Benito Villamarin on loan after becoming a Barca player. Two impressive seasons in Sevilla prompted Barca to exercise their option to welcome him 'back' in 2021, but he only played three times for them in La Liga before he was on the move again.
As financial issues hit Barcelona during Ronald Koeman's tenure, Emerson was sold to Tottenham Hotspur. "Do I feel used? Used is not the word, but the manner of it did hurt me," the defender said after his Barcelona dream ended abruptly.
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Neto
The same day, we saw the first of a number of de facto swap deals Barca would embark on over the last few years. Valencia goalkeeper Neto joined the club for €26m (£22.2m), shortly after Jasper Cillessen had moved in the opposite direction.
Cillessen had been an understudy to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Neto would end up fulfilling a similar role. In three seasons with the club, the 32-year-old has played just 21 games.
The goalkeeper was linked with Arsenal in 2020, only for the Gunners to instead move for Alex Runarsson. He's still on Barca's books, but has entered the final year of his contract.
Antoine Griezmann
The biggest outlay of Barcelona's 2019 summer window saw them put almost half of their €255m (£218m) outlay towards Griezmann. The French forward arrived for €120m after scoring 133 times in five seasons with Atletico Madrid, and many expected him to improve his one-in-two record with Barca's supply line.
Things didn't quite go to plan, though. After just 35 goals in more than 100 games for his new club, Griezmann was allowed to return to Atleti on loan in 2021 as Barcelona strived to trim their wage bill.
The 2020-21 champions have extended the loan deal for a second season, after which they will be required to buy him permanently if he makes a set number of appearances. Even if Atleti fork out the maximum €40m, though, it will represent a huge loss for Barcelona.
Marc Cucurella
Cucurella's form on loan at Eibar and Getafe prompted Barcelona to exercise a buy-back clause to keep the defender on their books. He never played a senior game for his parent club, though, eventually joining Getafe permanently in 2020.
After an impressive season at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, the Catalunya-born player made his Spain debut in the summer of 2021 before earning another move. Getafe made a handsome profit, offloading him to Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported £16m.
As Cucurella and his club remain alert to interest from Manchester City, Barca are looking a little light at the back. However, part of the reason for this is the fate of the other left-sided player who arrived just days after the Spaniard.
Junior Firpo
Firpo, like Emerson, arrived after impressing for Quique Setien's Real Betis in 2018-19. It didn't work out for him at Camp Nou, though, even after Setien briefly replaced Valverde in the dugout.
A Spanish under-21 international, the left-back never converted that into senior honours with La Roja, while his stock fell after making just 24 league appearances in two seasons. A mere seven of those arrived under Koeman in 2020-21, so his exit didn't come as a huge surprise.
Barcelona at least got most of their money back on Firpo when he was offloaded to Leeds United for €15m. He hardly set the world alight at Elland Road, though, and it remains to be seen whether he can rebuild his reputation under Jesse Marsch.
