La Liga Betting: Spanish transfer market is bullish, despite financial concerns

Spanish Football / Tobias Gourlay / 21 July 2010 / Leave a Comment

There have been plenty of comings and goings in La Liga recently, but Pep Guardiola's decision to stay at Barcelona for another season might be the most important event of all.

"Real were a team of two halves under Manuel Pellegrini (well, almost - there were six attackers and five defenders) and it was the defence that looked in more urgent need of reinforcements."

You'll have learnt during the World Cup that David Villa is now a Barcelona player. Jose Mourinho doesn't need a major tournament to publicise his affairs, but what else has been happening in La Liga this summer? Tobias Gourlay reports.

Let's start with Mourinho's new club, Real Madrid. The signing of Sergio Canales, Racing Santander's technically gifted 19-year-old, was made in February, but is noteworthy because a lot is expected of the young man. He was going to go back to Santander on loan for the new season, but his pre-season form has been good enough that Real have cancelled that agreement.

Other attackers have arrived too, Angel di Maria from Benfica and Pedro Leon from nearby Getafe, and yet more might be on their way - the most recent rumours involve Mesut Ozil, who has not signed a new contract with Werder Bremen since the World Cup, and Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez. Guti will clear off to Besiktas to make space for the new arrivals, while Raul and Karim Benzema might also be pointed towards the door with the brightly lit green sign above it.

Real were a team of two halves under Manuel Pellegrini (well, almost - there were six attackers and five defenders) and it was the defence that looked in more urgent need of reinforcements. Maicon has been mentioned, but the prominence of Sergio Ramos in South Africa might persuade Mourinho that the club's (or rather its banks') money is better spent elsewhere. Ricardo Carvalho has also played for the Portuguese before and might be the partner he wants for Pepe in central defence, if he can't have Thiago Silva of AC Milan or Nemanja Vidic. In front of them, Xabi Alonso was often the only link between defence and attack last season. There might have been a role for Steven Gerrard, but he's going to stay in Liverpool. VfB Stuttgart's Sami Khedira will come to the Spanish capital if his wage demands are met and would superannuate the Diarras, Lass and Mahamadou.

There are fewer new faces in Catalonia because Barcelona are suffering some cash-flow problems. Adriano has joined the champions from Sevilla for €10m. The Brazilian is often described as a full-back, but is very versatile and could cover central midfield now that Yaya Toure has teamed up with his brother at Manchester City. While Thierry Henry and Dmytro Chygrynskiy, the galumphing Ukrainian centre-half, are also gone and will soon be forgotten, two much bigger questions have not yet been answered: will Cesc Fabregas join? Will Zlatan Ibrahimovic leave?

The answer to the first depends on Fabregas - he must submit a written transfer request if he seriously wants to come back home this summer. The answer to the second might also depend on him - Ibrahimovic's agent says the Swede wants to stay at the Camp Nou, but Pep Guardiola would let him go if his transfer fee could be used to pay for Fabregas. More important than any of this though: Guardiola himself has signed a one-year contract extension. It's not the four-year document that the new club president, Sandro Rosell, drafted, but it does mean he has someone with the stature to stand up to Mourinho this season.

Last season, Valencia were less far away from the Big Two (25 points short of Real) than anyone else in La Liga, but now they've lost Villa, and David Silva to Manchester City. With the sale of Nikola Zigic to Birmingham City as well, the club has raised a much-needed €80m. They have signed some good-value replacements - Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado - but none who will take them to the level of the Big Two.

Sevilla are Spain's fourth Champions League team this season. Their status as such could persuade Luis Fabiano to hang around for another year, but he's an enigmatic (self-contradictory) chap and might still run off with someone else. Noteworthy new players have not yet been forthcoming.

Atletico Madrid need money to pay for signings and now would be a good time to cash in on Diego Forlan. The top of the Kun Aguero market might have passed, but Forlan's strike partner is still keen to leave. Sell one of the two and they could buy Filipe Luis, Deportivo's excellent left-back, Villarreal's Diego Godin and Rennes's Rod Fanni to improve their defence.

Finally, a mention for Villarreal, who have been dealing in some of this column's favourite players. Ariel Ibagaza has gone to Olympiacos and will be missed, even if he was increasingly injury-prone. But the Yellow Submarine have hunted down a fine replacement: West Bromwich Albion's Borja Valero.