Hristo Stoichkov argued that Barcelona re-signing Neymar would be akin to dropping a "bomb inside the dressing room".
In reality, the unsuccessful pursuit of the Brazilian has had a greater impact on the Blaugrana squad, leaving Ernesto Valverde to pick up the pieces.
Ivan Rakitic and Ousmane Dembele were obviously left bitterly upset by being used as makeweights in the bid to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou without their consent.
Of even greater significance, though, is the fact that Lionel Messi heads a group of senior players frustrated by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu's failure to re-unite them with their good friend.
Messi doesn't really do explosive interviews. His outburst after Argentina's controversial Copa America elimination was very much out of character. Messi rarely speaks to the press; when he does, he gives little away.
So, it was telling that last week he went public with his disappointment over Barca's inability to re-sign Neymar, and even openly questioned the club's commitment to getting the deal done.
"I don’t know what happened with the directors, I know they were speaking with Neymar," the Argentine told Sport last Thursday. "Neymar told me how things were going. He was really looking forward to coming back.
"I understand it’s difficult to negotiate with PSG and with Neymar because he’s one of the best. These negotiations are never easy. But the truth is I would have loved him to come back to us.
"I understand some people were against it and that’s normal considering everything that happened and how he left us, but thinking about it on a sporting level, Neymar is, for me, one of the best players in the world.
"Obviously, he would have increased our chances of getting the results that we all want."
And this is the key issue here: success.
As he admitted before the start of last season, Messi is desperate to win the Champions League again and he believes that they would have had a better chance of realising that goal in 2019-20 with Neymar back in Barcelona's starting line-up.
It's easy to understand why, of course: Neymar played a pivotal role in the Catalans' last European Cup triumph, with the Brazil international, Messi and Luis Suarez all scoring 10 goals in a thrilling campaign that culminated in a 3-1 victory over Juventus in the final.
Barca obviously have more pressing tactical, defensive and mental issues, as was made so painfully clear during the knockout stage second-leg collapses at Roma and Liverpool, in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
But those flaws have only increased the pressure on the captain to paper over the cracks with moments of individual brilliance, as he tried so valiantly to do last term, with 51 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions.
It's clear that Messidependencia is back with a vengeance, the reliance on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner arguably as great as it ever has been. One only has to look at how Barca have struggled without their skipper in away games this season for evidence of that.
So, it's easy to understand why Messi felt that Neymar – for all his faults – could have helped lighten his load. Whether he would have done so is open to debate, given the 27-year-old's fitness issues over the past two seasons.
However, that's really besides the point. It doesn't matter if Neymar would have solved some of Barca's problems; what matters is that Messi clearly thinks he would have.
Messi and Suarez remain close to Neymar – the three South Americans still share a WhatsApp group – but the skipper didn't want the former Santos man back just because they're friends; he wanted him back because Neymar is a proven performer at the very highest level.
Messi could be forgiven for thinking Barca haven't brought in enough players of that ilk since Neymar's sudden departure in the summer of 2017. Messi has always spoken glowingly of Dembele's talent and potential but last week he made a point of urging the French winger to "be more professional".
As Messi pointed out, talent isn't enough to make it in as demanding an arena as Camp Nou: "It's not easy to play for Barcelona."
Philippe Coutinho can vouch for that; the former Liverpool man looked a perfect fit for Barca on account of his silky style of play, yet there was no room for him on the pitch.
And that hints at a flawed transfer strategy. Barca made Coutinho the third-most expensive player of all time yet hadn't figured out beforehand whether he was to be used in midfield or up front.
This lack of foresight is underlined by the fact that of the 12 players signed in the 18 months that followed Neymar's exit (Marlon Santos, Gerard Deulofeu, Nelson Semedo, Paulinho, Dembele, Coutinho, Yerry Mina, Arthur Melo, Clement Lenglet, Malcom, Arturo Vidal and Jean-Clair Todibo), only Arthur and Lenglet could be considered unqualified success stories.
Hardly surprising, then, that Messi – who has a clause in his contract, which runs until 2021, allowing him to leave for nothing next year – has been tellingly non-committal regarding his future.
"I've said throughout my career that this is my home," he stated. "But I also don't want to have a long-term contract and only be here because of it...
"For me, money or clauses don't mean anything. Other things motivate me and the most important thing is having a winning team."
Messi clearly has his doubts as to whether Barca have provided him with one capable of reclaiming the Champions League.
Consequently, while La Masia sensation Ansu Fati has hinted at a bright future with his recent breakthrough, the pressure is presently on the most recent arrivals – Frenkie de Jong, Emerson, Neto, Antoine Griezmann, Marc Cucurella and Junior Firpo – to vindicate Bartomeu's recruitment strategy.
An unsatisfied Messi would be free to leave an unsuccessful Barcelona next year.
The clock on the Messi timebomb is ticking.