La Liga
Opinion: What Zidane must do in January to sustain Real Madrid’s title challenge?
Real Madrid have made a mediocre start to the Spanish League season by their standards and they will be hoping to close the gap with Atletico Madrid in the coming weeks. The Real Madrid squad is currently lacking in depth and the Spanish giants must look to bring in a couple of players this month. Key areas that need strengthening The Spanish champions need more quality in the central midfield and they should look to invest in their attack as well. They have been overly reliant on Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos to deliver every week. The likes of Modric and Kroos are in their 30s and Los Blancos cannot afford to exhaust them with excessive game time. Meanwhile, Karim Benzema has been carrying the Real Madrid attack ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club and it will be impor...
Opinion: Ronald Koeman could transform Barcelona with key January signing
Barcelona have been very poor under new manager Ronald Koeman and they are fifth in the Spanish League standings right now. They will need significant additions to the squad during the January transfer window in order to close the gap with the league leaders. Key areas that need strengthening Barcelona must look to sign a quality right-sided winger who will add more goals and creativity to the team. The Spanish giants have been overly reliant on Lionel Messi to create and score goals this season. Youngster Ansu Fati has done quite well so far but he has started just six league games and Koeman cannot rely on him to deliver every week for the remainder of the season. Antoine Griezmann has been quite poor by his standards and he has managed to score just three goals in 15 La Liga games...
Arsenal interested in signing Diego Costa on a free transfer
Arsenal are interested in signing Diego Costa on a free transfer, according to Spanish media outlet AS. The Atletico Madrid striker has six months remaining on his deal but has requested the club to terminate his contract with immediate effect so that he can take care of some family problems. He was absent from the Spanish club’s training session on Monday as he looks increasingly certain to leave the club in January. In January, Costa would be free to speak with clubs regarding a free transfer in the summer if Atletico refused to cancel his contract. The club are aware of this and are open to letting him leave the club next month as long as he does not join a direct rival. It would also allow them to get his wages off their books and look to sign a new striker. They were linke...
Arsenal interested in signing Barcelona’s Puig on loan
Arsenal are interested in signing Riqui Puig on loan from Barcelona in the January transfer window, according to Spanish media outlet Sport. The 21-year-old is a graduate of La Masia and made his debut for the senior side in 2018. He has made 19 appearances for the first team during which time the central midfielder has provided three assists. This season, he has made just four appearances in all competitions and is yet to start a single game. It is clear that Puig does not feature in Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman’s plans and a loan move in next month’s transfer window seems likely. It is understood that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has requested the club to sign the player on loan. The Gunners are struggling to create chances in front of goal this season and Puig has been identified ...
Where Next For Diego Costa?
After an underwhelming third spell at Atletico Madrid, Diego Costa is back on the market as a free agent. One of football’s most divisive characters, the forward has been cherished for his goalscoring ability, as well as reviled for his antics on the pitch. The Spaniard was once one of the most feared strikers in the world, hitting the 20-goal mark on two occasions as he won two Premier League titles at Chelsea. However, his best days seem far behind him, scoring just 12 league goals in 61 appearances since returning to Atletico Madrid. Furthermore, the 32-year-old comes with a lot of baggage. His salary was an estimated €300k per week, he has a concerning injury record, and has missed several games in his career through suspension. But, if he can get back to his best, then he should ...
Real Madrid handed a huge blow as Paris Saint-Germain plot a move for Ramos
Real Madrid are yet to renew the contracts of Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, and Lucas Vazquez. The trio are legally permitted by the Spanish FA rules and regulations to begin negotiations with clubs outside of Spain from January onwards. With the new year shortly commencing in a few days, Real Madrid must get down to business to renew the contract of Sergio Ramos. A report from Todo Fichajes states that Paris Saint-Germain has shown a great deal of signing Sergio Ramos next summer as a free agent. Mauricio Pochettino has been tipped to take over PSG shortly, and the former Premier League manager himself has put forward the name of Ramos to the board. The Argentine manager believes that Ramos would be the ideal replacement for Thiago Silva who left earlier this summer on a free transfer to Che...
World-class striker snubs Real Madrid to wait for Messi at Paris Saint-Germain
It seemed like Kylian Mbappe would be announced as a Real Madrid signing in the summer of 2021 after the French forward had reportedly asked the Paris Saint-Germain board to let him leave at the end of the season. However, since then, a lot has changed for Mbappe, PSG, and Real Madrid. Diaro GOL reports that Mbappe has considered not to make a move next summer to the Santiago Bernabeu as the 22-year-old forward wants to see out his contract at the Parc des Princes. Another reason is that the former AS Monaco star wants to experience a season with Lionel Messi who has been tipped to sign for Paris Saint-Germain next summer. With Thomas Tuchel being sacked a few days ago, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has been tipped to take over the role. Pochettino reportedly wants L...
2020 In Review: From COVID-19 to Liverpool to Maradona, looking back at a wild, wild year
2020 has been quite the year, one for the history books, for better or worse. We break down the 10 things we will remember 2020 for. Lunch is on Marcus: Rashford’s campaign to help school children Footballers have a unique position of influence, especially the younger ones in today’s era, with their millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram. While almost all players take part in some form of community service or philanthropic endeavours, Marcus Rashford decided to use his social media as a platform to appeal to UK lawmakers who were about to end a program that allows free lunches to millions of schoolchildren. Eventually, the lawmakers decided to cave into his request and made sure the program stays running. This not only bought to light the potential influence a young footballer can ...
Paris Saint-Germain plot a stunning move for La Joya of Juventus
Paulo Dybala could be on his way out of Juventus next summer itself. The Bianconeri have made several attempts at renewing the forward’s contract, however, there seems to be no progression with the negotiations. Having said that, Calico Mercato reports that Paris Saint-Germain has come knocking on the door for Dybala. The report states that the soon-to-be-coach Mauricio Pochettino has demanded the signing of Paulo Dybala. The 27-year-old forward has been linked with a move to Manchester United, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, however, it seems like the former Parma man could be on his way to the Parc des Princes. Paulo Dybala has not managed to adapt to Andrea Pirlo’s management. The Italian coach prefers using the attacking duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata instead which seems t...
Cristiano Ronaldo wants Real Madrid star to join Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo wants Juventus to go for one of the most experienced players from the Real Madrid roster during the upcoming months. Real Madrid took a slight backseat as Cristiano Ronaldo made a blockbuster move to Juventus during the summer of 2018. The Portugal international was not well replaced in the transfer window of his exit, which saw Los Blancos pay the ultimate price of enduring a trophyless season. However, they did pull up their socks in 2019. Florentino Perez spent an incremental amount and brought in some fine players last summer as the Whites won La Liga. One of the president’s recruit was left-back Ferland Mendy, who has quickly developed into one of the world’s best in his position. In doing so, the Frenchman has outdone Marcelo and therefore won over his manager’s tru...
Joan Laporta plans to replace Koeman with the world’s best coach at Barcelona
Ronald Koeman may have his Barcelona days numbered as the potential president of the club does not plan to keep the ex-Everton manager in the dugout. Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman started his era at the club in very good style as he decided to get rid of aged players while also winning his first three league matches in charge of the club. However, in recent months, his exploits have taken a nosedive down to the south as the Blaugrana are looking very inconsistent and in extremely poor form. Joan Laporta and Victor Font have both made it absolutely clear that they will vouch against the Dutchman’s continuity at the club. Laporta himself has been extremely vocal about his plans going forward and initially wanted to land Pep Guardiola at the club. However, his extension with Manchester City ha...
Atletico Madrid interested in signing Arsenal’s Maitland-Niles
Atletico Madrid are preparing to submit a bid for Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports. The Spanish giants will be without Kieran Trippier for 13 games after he received a ten week ban for breaching betting rules by the English FA. Initially, Atletico were set to still play the former Tottenham Hotspur defender as they were unsure if the ban would be upheld outside of England. FIFA have since confirmed that the player’s ban will be implemented worldwide. As a result of Trippier missing a large chunk of the second half of the season, the Madrid-based club are set to test Arsenal’s resolve by making an offer for Maitland-Niles. They have been keeping tabs on the player for the last twelve months and rate him highly. Diego Simeone’s side are on ...
