Yeah, like that time he agreed on a €35m transfer of a 28-year-old David Beckham...
Ok, in the end it seems that everyone can find a few " examples" why Laporta or anyone was good or bad.
Beckham was " a story" to win elections, he needed a big name like in Figo's case.
Anyway, our transfers since 2000's:
-- 2000-01 Season, signings, according to Transfermarkt:
-- Overmars 40m
-- Gerard Lopez 24m
-- Alfonso Perez 16,5m
-- Petit 15m
-- Gk Dutruel 4m
= 99,5m spent
-- sales: Figo 60m, R. De Boer 5,5m, Dehu 3,5m, Arnau 2m, Hesp 1m=72m
= 27,5m spent
-- 2001-02 Season:
-- Saviola 36m
-- Geovanni Deiberson, (Not Fc Giovanni from Van Gaal's era), 21m
-- Dc Christanval 17m
-- Mc Fabio Rochemback 9m
-- P. Anderson 8m
-- Bonano 1,2m
-- Coco loan 1m
= 93m
-- sales: Petit 11,5m, Zenden 8m, Simao 12m=32m
= total spent 61m
-- 2002/03 Season:
-- Riquelme 10m
-- Mendieta loan 1,5m
= 11,5
-- sales 11,5m
= total spent 0m
-- LAPORTA:
-- 2003/04 Season:
-- Ronaldinho 32,3m
-- Quaresma 6,4m
-- Marquez 5,3m
-- Davids loan 2m
= 46 Millions
-- sales: Riquelme, 10m, Rochemback, loan fee 2,5m, Enke 0,5m=13m
= total 33m spent
-- Season 2004/05:
-- Etoo 27M
-- Deco 21M
-- Guily 8,5M
-- Edmilson 8M
-- Maxi Lopez 6,5M (the only flop of that era)
-- Belletti 6M
-- Sylvinho 1,5M
-- free transfers: Larsson, Van Bronckhorst, Albertini
= total 78,5
-- sales: Luis Garcia 9m, Quaresma 6m= 15M
= 63,5 in total spent
-- Season 2005-06:
-- free transfers: Van Bommel, Ezquerro
-- sales: 3M
-- Season 2006-07:
-- Zambrotta 14M
-- Gudjohnsen 12M
-- Thuram 5M
= total 31m
-- sales: Van Bommel 6m, F. Navarro 6m=12m
= total spent 19m
And, imo, HERE we are starting to have "slightly different" signings under Laporta:
-- Season 2007-08:
-- Henry 24m
-- G. Milito 20m
-- Abidal 15m
-- Yaya Toure 9m
= total 68m
-- sales: Beletti 5,5m, Guily 4,5m, Maxi Lopez 2m, Motta 2m=14m
-- total 54m spent
-- Season 2008-09:
-- Alves 35,5m
-- Hleb 17m
-- Caceres 16,5m
-- Keita 14m
-- Henrique 8m
-- Pique 5m
= total 96m
-- sales Ronaldinho 25m, Zambrotta 10,5m, Deco 10m, Gio DS 6m, Oleguer 3m= 54,5m
= total spent 41,5m
-- Season 2009-10:
-- Ibrahimovic 69,5m
-- Chyngrynsky 25m
-- Keirrison 14m
-- Maxwell 4,5m
= 113m
-- sales Etoo 20m, Gudi 2m, Hleb loan 2m=24m
= total 89m spent
Season 2010-11:
-- Villa 40m
-- Masch 20m
-- Adriano 9,5m
-- Affellay 3m
= 72,5m
-- sales Yaya 30m, Chyngry 15m, Zlatan loan 6m, Hleb loan 1,2m, Caceres loan 0,5m=52,7m
= total 20m spent
-- Season 2011-12:
-- Fab 34m
-- Alexis 26m
= total 70m
-- sold Ibra 24m, Krkic 12m, Jeffren 4m, Maxwell 3,5m, Caceres 3m, Hleb loan 0,7=47,2m
= total around 23m spent
-- Season 2012-13:
-- Song 19m
-- Alba 14m
= 33m
-- sales Afellay 0,5
= total spend 32,5m
-- Season 13-14:
-- Neymar 57,1m (??)
-- Krkic 13m
= 70,1
-- sales: Thiago 25m, Villa 2m, Fontas 1m=28m
= 42m spent in total
-- Season 2014-15:
-- Suarez 81m
-- Mathieu 20m
-- Rakitic 18m
-- Mats 12m
-- Bravo 12m
-- Vermaelen 10m
-- Douglas 4m
= 157m
-- sales Alexis 42,5m, Cesc 33m, Tello loan 2m, Krkic 2m, Jonathan DS 1,5m=81m
= total 76m spent
Now, in shorter, Season by Season:
2000-01: Gaspart: spent 27,5m
2001-02: Gaspart: spent 61m
2002-03: Gaspart: spent 0,0 m
= total spent 88,5 in 3 Seasons, won 0 La Ligas and CLs
2003-04: Laporta+Rijkaard: 33m spent
2004-05: Laporta+Rijkaard: 64,5m spent
2005-06: Laporta+Rijkaard: 3m earned
2006-07: Laporta+Rijkaard: 19m spent
2007-08: Laporta+Rijkaard: 54m spent
= total 167m spent in 5 Seasons
2008-09: Laporta+Pep: 41,5m spent
2009-10: Laporta+Pep: 89m spent
= total 130,5m spent in 2 Seasons
2010-11: Rosell+Pep: 20m spent
2011-12: Rosell+Pep: 23m spent
2012-13: Rosell+Tito: 32,5m spent
2013-14: Rosell+Tata: 42m spent
2014-15: Rosell+Lucho: 76m spent
-- about Laporta, he has spent 113,5m in his first 4 Season, this is where my claims that he was "smarter" in the beginning, are coming from.
-- in the last 3 years of his presidency, he has spent 184,5 Millions
-- so, Laporta has spent 28,3 Millions on average in his first 4 Seasons as a president
-- and 61,5 in last 3 years (I know this is mostly because of Ibrahimovic's transfer, but still, it is clear how in general he started to spend more)
-- with Ibra's transfer he has spent 61,5m on average in last 3 Seasons
-- without Ibra's transfer he has still spent 38,5m on average, compared to 28,3m on average in early Seasons
Also, money spent "per person":
Directors:
-- Gaspart: 29,5m spent per Season
-- Laporta: 42,5m spent per Season
-- Rosell: 38,7m spent per Season
Coaches:
-- Rijkaard: 33,4m spent per Season
-- Pep: 43,4m spent per Season
-- Tito: 32,5m spent per Season
-- Tata: 42m spent per Season
-- Lucho: 76m spent per Season
Anyway, I still think that my claim that Laporta started to spend more money later, with or without Ibra, is true.