FC Barcelona: 5 Transfers Pep Guardiola and Barca Would Like to Forget

This week Barcelona sealed the signature of Chilean international Alexis Sanchez in a deal worth a total of €25 million ($36.9 million).

The former Udinese winger is the latest big name signing for Pep Guardiola and the Catalan club, with Cesc Fabregas also linked with a move to Camp Nou.

But the 22-year-old, who signed a five-year deal with Barcelona, could do well to note that the road to footballing hell is paved with good intentions.

Many before him have tried and failed to break into Pep Guardiola's plans, and whilst the Catalan coach may have the Midas touch on the pitch, in the transfer market, it's a whole other story.

Here are five transfers that Pep Guardiola and Barcelona are probably keen to forget.

Keirrison: Palmeiras to Barcelona

Long before the world began talking about Brazilian sensation Neymar as the successor to Pele, a young striker called Keirrison was widely touted as the natural successor to the World Cup icon.

Two seasons at Brazilian club side Coritiba saw the teenager rack up an impressive 33 goals in 63 appearances as Keirrison was crowned the youngest top scorer in the history of Brazil in 2008.

After joining Palmeiras in 2009 and scoring a further five goals in just seven games, Barcelona and Pep Guardiola were convinced and swooped in for the 19 year old.

Signed for €14 million, big things were expected of the star.

But something happened behind the scenes at Barcelona. Whether homesickness, loss of form or just a change of heart, Keirrison was soon shipped out of the Camp Nou on loan.

Six goalless games for Portuguese club side Benfica in 2009 soon saw the Brazilian on the move on again in January 2010 after securing another loan deal with Serie A side Fiorentina.

Yet Keirrison only stayed for six miserable months at Fiorentina before moving to Santos on loan—linking up with a young Neymar.

Now back at Barcelona, Keirrison has yet to play a single game for the club in just over two years.

Martín Cáceres: Villarreal to Barcelona

When Villarreal signed Uruguayan defender Martín Cáceres back in the 2007-2008 season before sending him out on loan to La Liga minnows Recreativo Huelva, they could not have anticipated what was to follow.

A sparkling season for the mid-table Spanish side saw Martín Cáceres become one of the hottest properties in Europe and, in particular, Spain.

Real Madrid were first to be linked to the defender but it was Barcelona and new coach Pep Guardiola that won the race to sign the player.

Paying a total of €16.5 million Villarreal to land the defender, Martín Cáceres was seen as the man to lead Barcelona's creaking defense, with Manchester United reserve player Gerard Pique ready to back him up.

However, a series of injuries saw Martín Cáceres spend much of the season in the treatment room and the Barcelona bench as he watched Pique cement his place in the first team.

A season's loan with Juventus brought similar frustration before a second loan to La Liga side Sevilla saw Martín Cáceres finally wave goodbye to the Camp Nou for good, signing permanently with Sevilla this summer.   

Alexander Hleb: Arsenal to Barcelona

Few players depart the bosom of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal without living to regret it.

Marc Overmars suffered nightmare injuries, Emmanuel Petit lost form and Nicholas Anelka was never quite at his barnstorming best away from the Gunners.

But back in 2008, Belarus international winger Alexander Hleb thought he knew better after dazzling for Arsenal in Europe across two seasons.

Pep Guardiola and Barcelona snapped up Hleb in a deal worth €17 million.

"I love this team," Hleb said upon signing with Barcelona. "I will give my best and I want to win everything with Barca."

The love affair would not last, with Alexander Hleb playing only a bit part as Barcelona swept to a treble in their first season as he watched on.

Humiliating season-long loans with Bundesliga side Stuttgart and Premier League strugglers Birmingham City followed, but Alexander Hleb was a different player—short of confidence.

He has since returned to the Catalans and awaits a move away, but in a recent interview Alexander Hleb admitted he was wrong to leave Arsenal.

"Not a lot of players say no to Barcelona," he said. "But if I’d known what was going to happen I would have said no. It was my fault I left Arsenal. Yes, I won the Champions League but I didn’t play a lot and I lost my form and I lost a bit of my confidence."

Dmytro Chygrynskiy: Shakhtar Donetsk to Barcelona

The signing of Shakhtar Donetsk defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy is often one that goes unnoticed by many football fans, partly due to the brief nature of the move.

At the conclusion of Pep Guardiola's first season in charge of Barcelona, the Catalan coach was keen to bring in defensive reinforcements following the failure of signing Martín Cáceres.

After much scouting, Guardiola and Barcelona set their sights on young Ukrainian defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy who had already captained Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Cup final at the age of 20, as well as lifting the UEFA Cup with the club in 2009.

By the end of the 2009/2010 campaign he was an established star on the side.  But the pressure was on from the start as his move to Barcelona came under focus when he was allowed to play for his former team Shakhtar Donetsk against new club Barcelona in the European Super Cup final.

Pep Guardiola's Barcelona paid an impressive €25 million for the defender who proceeded to play just 12 games for the Catalans. A year later, he was sold back to Shakhtar Donetsk for just €12 million in what remains a deal to forget for Pep Guardiola and Barcelona alike. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Inter Milan to Barcelona

The signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic represents arguably the most insane piece of transfer business you are ever likely to witness under Pep Guardiola—or any manager for that matter.

Picture the scene: You've just enjoyed an unprecedented treble which has come in no small part thanks to your prolific, if a little temperamental and egotistical, African striker—what next?

Well, if you are Pep Guardiola, the answer is trade in the striker in question, Samuel Eto'o, or another troubled footballing genius with slightly more ego and a whole lot less goals in the UEFA Champions League—Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

And better still, offer Ibrahimovic's current team, Inter Milan, a deal which sees them get Samuel Eto'o and just over €40 million.

According to figures released by the club the deal, inclusive of the value of Eto'o, equated to around €69.5 million. That's crazy money and what's more, it proved to be an equally crazy decision.

Barcelona and Ibrahimovic started well enough, with the Swede bagging the winner against Real Madrid in El Classico. But by January, something had changed with Ibrahimovic enduring niggling injuries and a drop off in form that has become a familiar staple of Ibrahimovic's seasons in recent years.

This meant that by the time the Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan came around, Ibrahimovic was nowhere to be seen. One man that was on show though was former Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o.

Enjoying a stunning opening campaign at San Siro, Eto'o would enjoy a second treble in back to back years with two separate clubs.

Communication between Zlatan Ibahimovic and coach Pep Guardiola soon broke down too with Zlatan seemingly unhappy to play second fiddle to Lionel Messi within the team.

In the end, Ibrahimovic returned to Italy with AC Milan on a loan deal that could be worth just €12 million to Barcelona. 

Now that's quite some loss.