Sergio Busquets joins Inter Miami CF - But is he worth a DP spot?

©TM/IMAGO

After securing superstar Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF have also announced the signing of Spain and Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets on a free transfer. Busquets has signed a Designated Player (DP) contract until 2025. “I am excited to welcome Sergio Busquets to Inter Miami,” owner Jorge Mas said in a club statement. “Since day one we have set out to bring the world’s best players to Inter Miami. Sergio’s repertoire speaks for itself.”

Market Value

S. Busquets Defensive Midfield

€2.50m

Busquets is unlikely to be the final piece either; several reports have also indicated that Jordi Alba could also be on his way to the Major League Soccer club. “This is a special and exciting opportunity that I’m very excited to take," Busquets said in a club statement. "I’m looking forward to this next step in my career with Inter Miami."

With Messi and Busquets now joining as DPs, questions must be asked about Inter Miami’s roster construction. In Leonardo Campana, Gregore, and Rodolfo Pizarro, the Beckham-owned club had three DPs under contract already. Gregore was put on long-term injury reserve, and Campana's deal has been changed to a Youth Designated Player. Pizarro, in the meantime, has agreed to mutually terminate his contract and joined AEK Athens on Monday. Those moves mean that Miami might have room to bring in a few more players with the club already being linked with Diego Gómez (Libertad), Tomás Avilés (Racing) and Brian Aguirre (Newell's Old Boys). 

Sergio Busquets to Inter Miami CF – Worth a DP spot?

Initial reports suggested that Busquets would be signed below the TAM limit, earning just enough to be not considered a DP player. But considering Inter Miami’s history with salary cap violations, such a deal would have raised significant eyebrows among officials of other clubs, especially those that were critical of Inter Miami in the past or LAFC’s conduct around signing Gareth Bale last season. Inter Miami’s punishment for violating salary cap rules also came with a hefty fine in allocation money, which will likely limit the club’s ability to pay down Busquets or another player.

With all that in mind, the South Florida-based club might not have had a choice but to sign Busquets to a DP contract.  But is Busquets worth a DP spot? MLS is a physical league, and whether Busquets can withstand the demands that come with the long travel remains to be seen—especially, after having played 42 games already in what was a long season with Barca.

Stats

S. Busquets Defensive Midfield

FC Barcelona

Season 22/23–
All competitions

Games

42

Goals

0

Assists

4

There is historic presedent for this. After all, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and, most recently, Bale highlighted that MLS can be challenging to navigate for older players. Finally, in an environment where many MLS teams use DP slots for younger players with upside, Busquets might limit Miami’s ability to navigate the transfer market in that category this summer. An important window in which the club wants to maximize the popularity that comes with the arrival of Lionel Messi.