Leganes Exec: 'Unfair' Martin Braithwaite Barcelona Transfer 'Hugely Damaging'

Leganes director general Martin Ortega has labelled Barcelona's transfer of Martin Braithwaite "unfair" and said it's "hugely damaging" for the relegation-threatened club.

The Catalans announced his capture on Thursday, using his mandatory €18 million buyout clause to add the Dane as an emergency injury replacement. Barcelona received permission to do so outside the transfer window because Ousmane Dembele suffered a long-term injury.

Leganes had no choice in the matter and can not sign a replacement of their own, something Ortega thought isn't right:

The move means Leganes have lost their two best attacking weapons in a little over a month, with Youssef En-Nesyri joining Sevilla in January. The chances of Los Pepineros surviving the relegation battle seem slim at best as a result.

Ben Hayward of the London Evening Standard thought it was deeply unfair on the La Liga minnows:

Spanish football expert Sid Lowe noted Leganes took aim at the rule itself and not the Blaugrana:

According to Ramon Fuentes of Sport, La Liga are already looking at amending the rule to exclude buyout clauses in the future.

Under the current rule, Spanish clubs can ask permission to sign an injury replacement outside the transfer window. Any target has to be a free agent or already registered in Spain. Because buyout clauses are mandatory in La Liga, there's no need to negotiate with clubs if the team is willing to pay the full amount.

That creates a major issue for La Liga's smaller clubs. Sports writer Samuel Marsden explained how players and agents have no incentive to agree to a big clause if their goal is to take a step up in the future:

Braithwaite's €18 million clause at Leganes hardly presented a problem for Barcelona, who promptly inserted a massive €300 million buyout clause into his new deal.

The Catalans parted with Abel Ruiz and Carles Perez in January without signing replacements, while an injury to Luis Suarez meant they were short on depth. Dembele then suffered a hamstring injury shortly after the transfer window closed, further reducing their attacking options.