Page 348

By -
0

Atletico de Madrid midifielder Koke has warned Real Madrid that their city rivals are ready to compete for the La Liga title this season.

Los Rojiblancos won the title in 2014 but finished third last season having lost some key men from their title winning campaign.

But the Vicente Calderon side have been busy in the transfer window, with Los Colchoneros boss Diego Simeone strengthening his side with the likes of Jackson Martinez from Porto and Luciano Vietto moving to the Vicente Calderon.

Speaking to i3 Sports, Koke said the squad has been lifted by the signings and is ready for a title challenge again.

The 23-year-old stated: “The team are training well and working really, really hard, and I believe that this season we can compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona. Last year we finished as champions, but in the past season it was Barcelona and Real Madrid all over again.

“We’ve had a lot of good changes recently, so I think that this season we can do something important. I really think the new players can bring some positive changes to the team.”

Atletico kick off their league campaign with a home game against newly-promoted Las Palmas on August 22.

By -
0

The new Real Madrid signing Jesus Vallejo has confessed that joining Real Madrid is a “unique opportunity” he could not allow himself to miss.

“Signing for Madrid is a unique opportunity and you never know if it could happen again, so I didn’t want to miss that boat,” the 18-year-old explained.

The footballer will stay at Zaragoza this season in a one-year loan, although he’s expected to travel to Madrid in the next few days.

“They haven’t told me when I must travel to Madrid. I imagine I will go this week to meet everybody at the club,” he said.

“Having signed for Madrid is not going to change me. I will keep helping my team. It doesn’t put pressure on me. I already had pressure on me in the European Championship. When you’re in the field you just think of helping the team. Pressure is not something that worries me.”

Vallejo confessed he has spoken with Zaragoza’s manager Ranko Popovic about his transfer: “He has asked me to give my best. He believes this is good for the club. But now I mustn’t think about Real Madrid. I must think about Zaragoza.”

“Sólo he hablado con Marco Asensio, compañero en la Sub’19. Me ha comentado que me ayudará en lo que sea necesario. Pero ahora la cabeza y el corazón los tengo en el Zaragoza, porque voy a trabajar como si perteneciese al club. Estoy tan concentrado como el año pasado, competiré bien”.

By -
1

Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva will leave Real Madrid this summer in a one-year loan.

Los Blancos had to choose to keep either him or Casemiro, since there is just room for one more player with non-EU passport. Rafa Benitez has decided to keep Casemiro, so Silva will have to go.

Sevilla, Getafe, Deportivo La Coruna, Porto and Fiorentina have requested a loan move to bring the former Cruzeiro man, but Los Merengues will most likely wait until the end of the summer transfer market to make a decision.

Should James Rodriguez, Casemiro or Danilo manage to get a EU passport before September, Silva could even stay, especially if Asier Illarramendi finally leaves the club, but that is highly unlikely.

Real Madrid signed Silva last winter in a 14-million-euro deal. Carlo Ancelotti didn’t give him many chances, but Los Blancos believe he’s got great future and want him to develop his game at another La Liga club.

Last season he only played 428 minutes and only started in three matches, against Schalke 04, Elche and Villarreal.

By -
1
Karim Benzema

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has dismissed rumours linking the Gunners with Real Madrid’s striker Karim Benzema.

Stories in the press in recent weeks have suggested the FA Cup holders, who defeated Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday, are willing to pay 50 million euros for the France forward as they look to win their first league title in more than a decade.

The 27-year-old is known to be a favourite of Real president Florentino Perez and Los Blancos aren’t openly looking to get rid of Benzema. But with new boss Rafa Benitez testing Cristiano Ronaldo in a more central role in pre-season, the stories keep emerging that Real are willing to listen to offers if they come along.

Wenger has long been an admirer of Benzema and competed for his signature when he left Lyon in 2009 for Real. But despite all the talk of a potential bid, Wenger played down the talk at his press conference at Wembley.

Asked for an update on whether the north London side would bid for Benzema, the most successful manager in Arsenal’s history stated: “No, honestly, no.”

Benzema has scored more than 120 goals for Los Blancos and has won a host of trophies including the Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, European Super Cup, World Club Cup and European Super Cup.

By -
0
Iker Casillas

Porto manager Julen Lopetegui says new goalkeeper Iker Casillas has the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old and has had an immediate impact at the club.

The veteran goalkeeper and former Real Madrid captain left Los Blancos last month after 25-years to move to the Estadio de Dragao – a switch that paves the way for David de Gea’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The World Cup winner made an instant impact this weekend as he saved a penalty in the shootout win over Valencia in a friendly.

And speaking after the win, Casillas’ new boss Lopetegui said: “He is a player that comes with experience. He has arrived at the club with the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old lad. He has come to a big club and we are all going to benefit from his enthusiasm.”

The World Cup and European Championship winner also spoke to reporters after the game and said he’s delighted with his move so far.

“I am very grateful to the fans. Now I will try and repay that love with more good performances and victories for Porto. The team was fine defensively, we had a lot of the ball and we’re happy. It’s good to win in the pre-season and pick up a winning mentality,” he commented.

By -
0

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are fighting to sign Sporting Portugal midfielder William Carvalho, Portuguese sports newspaper A Bola has revealed.

The 23-year-old is one of the most sought-after defensive midfielders in Europe. He has had a terrific season with the Portuguese side, finishing second in the table only six points behind Porto.

The defensive midfielder role is one of Los Blancos weaknesses and the club directors are always eyeing player who could fit in that position.

Asier Illarramendi and Lucas Silva don’t seem to fulfil Rafa Benitez’s necessities. Casemiro, on the other hand, seems to have pleased the Spanish manager, but Carvalho could be an option for next season should Casemiro fail to succeed this year.

Thus, Real are considering to make a bid for Carvalho either next January or in the summer of 2016. But that offer could arrive late should Atletico Madrid finally decide to sign him this summer.

Diego Simeone is trying to bring Thiago Motta to reinforce his midfield, but should that transfer fail Carvalho could be their next option.

However Sporting are not willing to let the player go, and they will not sell unless they receive an important offer. Several Premier League sides have also shown an interest in signing Carvalho, and that has increased the footballer’s value.

By -
0

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he never thought he would make it as a professional footballer.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed an incredible career, not only with Los Blancos but with Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United. His trophy haul includes Champions League titles, La Liga, the Premier League, Copa del Rey, FA Cup, European Super Cup and World Club Cup among many other.

And along the way, the Portuguese has set all sorts of goalscoring records, with last season being his best yet as he hit 61 goals for his club.

But in an interview with Herbalife, the forward revealed he never thought he would make it to the top of the game.

“At first, I just played [football] for fun, without thinking I had talent. I remember always playing in the street, and one day my father told me, ‘why don’t you come to the club with me when I’m working?’, and I said, ‘sure, why not’ and started to play with the same routine,” he commented.

And he added: “I started training every day and liked being part of a team. At first, I felt different to the other children, but never did I think that I’d be a professional footballer, one who played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon. I watched World Cups, and that’s when I started to dream.”

By -
0

Real Madrid have officially announced that young defender Jesus Vallejo will be a Los Blancos player for the next six seasons.

Los Merengues have reportedly paid Zaragoza 4.5 million euros. The 18-year-old centre-back will stay at his hometown club next season on a one-year loan, playing in the Spanish second division.

Real have published the following statement in their website:

Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza have reached an agreement on the transfer of Jesus Vallejo, who will sign with the club for six seasons. Vallejo will remain at Real Zaragoza on loan for the coming season.

Vallejo is one of the biggest prospects in European football. He has impressed many this season becoming Zaragoza’s captain and leading the Spanish national team that has won the European Under-19 Championship. He is seen by many as the next Sergio Ramos.

Los Blancos are working hard in building a bright future, signing teenagers Martin Odegaard, Marco Asensio and Vallejo. They are also negotiating to bring other two wonkerkids: Chinese pearl Lin Liangming and Betis youngster Dani Ceballos.

Real want Vallejo to keep growing at Zaragoza, where he will fight for promoting to La Liga. Should the club succeed in returning to the Spanish first division, Vallejo would most likely remain there for another year. Otherwise he would be loaned to a bigger club.

By -
0

Former Real Madrid assistant manager Paul Clement says he can’t wait for the new season to start and that there isn’t too much of a difference between coaching Los Blancos and Derby County.

The Englishman took over a manager of the Rams earlier in the summer and has been tasked with getting the club back into the Premier League.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror about his time at Madrid and Derby so far, Clement said the most any manager can ask from his players is that they give their all in training and work hard – whether they are Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Will Hughes or George Thorne.

“What marks those top players is their determination to be the best they can possibly be – and that is all you ask from anybody. It is never a problem working with a good player with a big ego. The problem is only if you work with a player who has a big ego who is not very good,” he stated.

The Championship is one of the toughest leagues to get out of, with ten or eleven teams all genuine contenders for at least a play-off spot every season. And with the league season being 46 games, it is a long campaign.

But Clement says is is ready for the challenge ahead.

He commented: “You play a lot of games on Saturday then Tuesday in this league, but in Spain we were playing Sunday then Wednesday. Tell me the difference? We had three games in a week all the time, playing in the Champions League, the Copa del Rey. It taught you how to handle the intense workload and still prepare correctly.

“I learned how to recover well, how to train the players that are not starting to get them ready for the next game.”

By -
3

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has told his board to sell goalkeeper David de Gea to Real Madrid, according to reports.

The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with a move back to the Spanish capital this summer but his club has so far refused to entertain offers from the 10-times Champions League winners.

The Red Devils’ board are reportedly keen to stand their ground as they feel they were bullied into selling Cristiano Ronaldo six years ago and also want to show they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to attracting and keeping the world’s best players at Old Trafford.

But according to Spanish daily, AS, Dutchman van Gaal has resigned himself to the fact de Gea will leave and wants to saga over and done with so both clubs and the player himself can move on.

The Spaniard, a former Atletico de Madrid man, took part in United’s tour of the USA but was out of sorts during the 2-0 defeat to PSG earlier this week. After the match, his manager admitted the speculation was beginning to become a problem.

Van Gaal said: “We have a situation on our hands that is not good for the player, not good for us and not good for the club where the player wants to move to.”

1...347348349...733Page 348 of 733

www.gambleaware.co.uk or www.gamcare.org.uk
Please gamble responsibly