La Liga 2017/18

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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So Iborra is set to join Leicester. Weird decision from him. But i guess money talk. @SfcNervion

Regarding the other teams, big summer ahead for Barca. They need a massive overhaul at the back and in the middle.
 

SfcNervion

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So Iborra is set to join Leicester. Weird decision from him. But i guess money talk. @SfcNervion

Regarding the other teams, big summer ahead for Barca. They need a massive overhaul at the back and in the middle.
:)Haha, no, I do understand him. Well, I understand that players go after money, but I also understand why he is leaving in general. He has been here for 4 years, which with today's standard is an eternity. He has done everything he can in this club and now he was looking for new challanges. We all will miss him, even though his football was not always the best, he was still a great leader and a popular character - actually, he was exactly like Coke in that sense. Wish him the best.
 

PedroMendez

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I like him a lot and he is a great guy, yet it makes sense for all sides. He'll get more playing time and a new challenge; he has gone as far as he could with Sevilla winning three Euroleague title. 15m for a 29 year old, who is surplus to requirement is great business for the club. Enough to replace him without losing quality on the pitch. English clubs have money and Leicester are get a fairly versatile and combative midfielder, who showed great leadership in the past. Apparently Rami is on his way to Marseille; hopefully they take him. I'd also take 40m for Vitolo without hesitation. He is good, but 40m is more helpful.
Jordan Amavi as LB backup seems solid. Guido "El Conde" Pizarro would be a great signing for around 5m. Second best player for Tigres after Gignac; could turn out to be a genuine bargain. Hopefully N'Zonzi stays after all, if not, we are interested in Sander Berge (Genk). We can only afford him (if at all), when we get money from sellign N'Zonzi. Apparently we are also very interested in Luis Muriel, who I don't know at all. He wouldn't be cheap. That would indicate, that Berizzo doesn't fancy Jovetic.
 

SfcNervion

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I like him a lot and he is a great guy, yet it makes sense for all sides. He'll get more playing time and a new challenge; he has gone as far as he could with Sevilla winning three Euroleague title. 15m for a 29 year old, who is surplus to requirement is great business for the club. Enough to replace him without losing quality on the pitch. English clubs have money and Leicester are get a fairly versatile and combative midfielder, who showed great leadership in the past. Apparently Rami is on his way to Marseille; hopefully they take him. I'd also take 40m for Vitolo without hesitation. He is good, but 40m is more helpful.
Jordan Amavi as LB backup seems solid. Guido "El Conde" Pizarro would be a great signing for around 5m. Second best player for Tigres after Gignac; could turn out to be a genuine bargain. Hopefully N'Zonzi stays after all, if not, we are interested in Sander Berge (Genk). We can only afford him (if at all), when we get money from sellign N'Zonzi. Apparently we are also very interested in Luis Muriel, who I don't know at all. He wouldn't be cheap. That would indicate, that Berizzo doesn't fancy Jovetic.
Did you see our new kits? NB kept it simple, yet classy, as it suppose to be! :drool:
 

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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:)Haha, no, I do understand him. Well, I understand that players go after money, but I also understand why he is leaving in general. He has been here for 4 years, which with today's standard is an eternity. He has done everything he can in this club and now he was looking for new challanges. We all will miss him, even though his football was not always the best, he was still a great leader and a popular character - actually, he was exactly like Coke in that sense. Wish him the best.
Yeah, fair point. He won and gave everything for you guys. He couldn't do more.
 

prarek

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Not surprised with Iborra transfer tbh. He wasn't a regular for Sevilla and they were looking to sell him to Sunderland last season i believe so it's been coming. £12 million is a good deal for Sevilla.
 

Redondo_Pirri

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Is it official? Also, that would surely mean James is out of Madrid right?
Offices are closed till Monday so will be announced then, but every single news outlet in Spain is reporting it. from Cope to ABC to Marca.

James is certainly out as the story is we promised Dani a first team spot rather than a loan out.
 

giorno

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Is it official? Also, that would surely mean James is out of Madrid right?
Yes, though don't think this has much to do with that. James was going to leave regardless, no feeling with Zidane and too good to rot on the bench

Ceballos might push out kovacic though
 

Peyroteo

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Offices are closed till Monday so will be announced then, but every single news outlet in Spain is reporting it. from Cope to ABC to Marca.

James is certainly out as the story is we promised Dani a first team spot rather than a loan out.
Thanks, that makes sense. Fantastic move by Madrid but Ceballos should have definitely picked Barça instead.

Yes, though don't think this has much to do with that. James was going to leave regardless, no feeling with Zidane and too good to rot on the bench

Ceballos might push out kovacic though
Since he got left out of the CL final squad it seems pretty obvious James is out of Madrid but I haven't heard many rumous about him leaving which is a bit weird. Letting Kovacic go would be a bad move imo. He has impressed me and Modric is nearly 32.

Madrid's transfer window has been pretty much perfect, the quantity and quality of your young players is insane and I still feel like you'll replace Morata with Mbappe.
 

Redondo_Pirri

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No reason for Kovacic to go, our squad is perfect.

Defence:
Navas; Casilla
Marcelo; Theo
Ramos; Nacho
Varane; Vallejo
Carvajal; Danilo*/Archaf

Midfield:
Casemiro; Llorente
Modric; Isco
Kroos; Kovacic

Midfield auxiliary: Ceballos (James' role last year)

Attack:
Bale; Lucas
Benzema; Morata*/Mbappe
Ronaldo; Asensio

*Denotes player may be sold
 

Redondo_Pirri

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Certainly seems so, a deal is dependant on you not being delusional on the price though.
Rumours are we put a 70me price tag on him, which is what scared AC Milan off early.

Haven't heard if anyone else is in for him or not though, nothing reliable from Spanish press that is.

Lots of things from English and French tabloids.
 

giorno

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No reason for Kovacic to go, our squad is perfect.

Defence:
Navas; Casilla
Marcelo; Theo
Ramos; Nacho
Varane; Vallejo
Carvajal; Danilo*/Archaf

Midfield:
Casemiro; Llorente
Modric; Isco
Kroos; Kovacic

Midfield auxiliary: Ceballos (James' role last year)

Attack:
Bale; Lucas
Benzema; Morata*/Mbappe
Ronaldo; Asensio

*Denotes player may be sold
Meh, i'm a bit afraid about the CB position. Don't rate the Ramos-Varane pairing(they're fine individually, but too similar and with similar holes in their game to be effective together. Not surprising, both have been much better playing next to Pepe)and Vallejo is still a huge question mark

Also don't believe Isco will be competing for minutes with the midfielders. He'll compete mostly with Bale and Asensio imho

Kovacic is a good player but he flatters to deceive, a lot. The only great quality he has is his burst of pace from midfield. Ceballos is much better, and younger. Also a much more similar type of player to Modric. Kovacic spent 2 years at inter where nobody quite figured out what was his best position and role on the pitch. Us paying that fee for him in 2015 was baffling. He's done well for us, but i've yet to see anything from him that makes me think he'll become world class. Don't think his football IQ is high enough

And i think he might leave, because i'm pretty sure he's quickly going to become 8th choice in midfield for Zidane(behind Isco and Asensio, too, who as i've said i think will mostly play as "forwards") and then he'll push for a move away
 

Redondo_Pirri

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Meh, i'm a bit afraid about the CB position. Don't rate the Ramos-Varane pairing(they're fine individually, but too similar and with similar holes in their game to be effective together. Not surprising, both have been much better playing next to Pepe)and Vallejo is still a huge question mark

Also don't believe Isco will be competing for minutes with the midfielders. He'll compete mostly with Bale and Asensio imho

Kovacic is a good player but he flatters to deceive, a lot. The only great quality he has is his burst of pace from midfield. Ceballos is much better, and younger. Also a much more similar type of player to Modric. Kovacic spent 2 years at inter where nobody quite figured out what was his best position and role on the pitch. Us paying that fee for him in 2015 was baffling. He's done well for us, but i've yet to see anything from him that makes me think he'll become world class. Don't think his football IQ is high enough

And i think he might leave, because i'm pretty sure he's quickly going to become 8th choice in midfield for Zidane(behind Isco and Asensio, too, who as i've said i think will mostly play as "forwards") and then he'll push for a move away
I'll address each paragraph:

1. That exact pairing has started and won 2 UCL Finals, they are in no way similiar in terms of how they play, exact opposites actually. Vallejo's only concern is not talent but rather injury. Have a look at his performances in Germany and the accolades of not only his manager but other pundits in the league.

2. Modric is 32 and despite Isco's performances in the diamond, if Bale is fit he is playing. Also majority of Isco's starting roles came in Modric's position, with Modric being 32 and coming into a world cup year he will be rested even more.

3. Kovacic is often and repeatedly mentioned by our coaching staff as having one of the highest footballing iq's on our squad. Look at his performances when Casemiro was injured, he was superb, especially against Atletico and Barcelona. he has huge potential. He is also one of the youngest players, he has plenty of time, see Isco for reference.

4. No one not the media, not the staff, not even the rag tabloids have ever mentioned Kovacic leaving. It will be James if it is anybody.
 

giorno

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I'll address each paragraph:

1. That exact pairing has started and won 2 UCL Finals, they are in no way similiar in terms of how they play, exact opposites actually. Vallejo's only concern is not talent but rather injury. Have a look at his performances in Germany and the accolades of not only his manager but other pundits in the league.
Not much of a concern in single big games, as Ramos tends to play those with 100% concentration for the whole 90 minutes and that cuts a lot of his mistakes out. Fully focused, Ramos is one of the 3-4 best defenders in the world

Ramos and Varane are similar in that they're both instinct types who rely a lot on their athleticism rather than reading the situation and making sound decisions based on that. They're both very mistake-prone, and they make similar types of mistakes(in Ramos case it's mostly down to lack of concentration), and unless Ramos is in his big-game mode, they won't cover for each other

Both of them have been better playing next to Pepe, a true defensive leader who's very good at reading and anticipating play, and doesn't make rash decisions

Vallejo's question marks is down to entirely to his age. Being 3rd choice for us is different than playing for Eintracht or Spain U21

2. Modric is 32 and despite Isco's performances in the diamond, if Bale is fit he is playing. Also majority of Isco's starting roles came in Modric's position, with Modric being 32 and coming into a world cup year he will be rested even more.
Isco had to play in midfield because Bale was untouchable. Cris, Benzema and Bale are no longer untouchable, and Isco is waaay better playing AM than CM, as he just showed this season. But yeah, it's more wishful thinking on my part than anything at the moment. We'll just have to wait and see

3. Kovacic is often and repeatedly mentioned by our coaching staff as having one of the highest footballing iq's on our squad. Look at his performances when Casemiro was injured, he was superb, especially against Atletico and Barcelona. he has huge potential. He is also one of the youngest players, he has plenty of time, see Isco for reference.
And it always struck me as them sticking out for him. He's a good player and still young, decent to good at just about everything, but only really great at one thing. Ceballos is better at several things. He's just better than Kovacic imho

Also, funny that you mention his performances in Casemiro's position. And true as well, that's where he's looked best for us. Maybe he could turn into a WC DM...

4. No one not the media, not the staff, not even the rag tabloids have ever mentioned Kovacic leaving. It will be James if it is anybody.
Yeah, that's just what i think will happen, not something that's actually happening. I might be way off here. As i said, i don't particularly care either way though. He's good, but i don't see him displacing Modric in 2 years time. I can see Ceballos doing that instead
 

RoyH1

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18 million?! Bloody hell. You can still get a bargain in Spain. He'd cost twice that if he played for a Premiership side.

As if their squad wasn't deep enough.
 

RoyH1

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Perez seems to give the same speech every bloody time he introduces a player. One day he's going to forget to update it and say the name of the previous guy he presented.
 

SfcNervion

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Muriel to Seville. What do you make of it @SfcNervion? I think he is another "not completely born" talent.
Muriel and Guido Pizarro are official:) Haha, Guido...they say we bought him from Tigres, but is sounds like we found him in Jersey Shore. :lol:

I have never seen Muriel or Pizarro in action, but Sevilla is the bridge to make them bigger, so if their career have suffered a bit previously then it is still ok. Plenty of late bloomers became late bloomers in Sevilla;). These two could become great business.

Vitolo should be officially Atletico (Las Palmas) player any day now.
 

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Muriel and Guido Pizarro are official:) Haha, Guido...they say we bought him from Tigres, but is sounds like we found him in Jersey Shore. :lol:

I have never seen Muriel or Pizarro in action, but Sevilla is the bridge to make them bigger, so if their career have suffered a bit previously then it is still ok. Plenty of late bloomers became late bloomers in Sevilla;). These two could become great business.

Vitolo should be officially Atletico (Las Palmas) player any day now.
After Monchi left, does Sevilla have the same quality in scouting players, same structure or not?
 

SfcNervion

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After Monchi left, does Sevilla have the same quality in scouting players, same structure or not?
It is said that the structure is maintained, and that most - if not all - scouts are still at the club. The expectation is that the club should be able to carry on from where Monchi left. :)

Looks like Sevilla are falling out with Jesus Navas, who is now closer to Lazio.
 

SfcNervion

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Haha, yeah. Starting with trying to create a reunion at the club, by bringing some oldies back:lol:

Berizzo is hoping Nolito (or Navas) gets settled soon, since it is due to start the pre season. Amavi, Banega, Pizarro and Muriel are already settling with the squad for pre season tour.

Muriel is the most expensive signing in Sevilla's history (22-25 million euros), and also got the most expensive release clause in the club's history: 50 million euros.
 
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Devil may care

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Real Madrid should be a great watch again this season, they've signed another young diamond in Ceballos and hopefully him and Asensio get plenty of game time. Atletico are the team I'm unsure about, they have continued to do well in the CL but they've felt a bit like treading water in the league the last couple of seasons and without anyone to freshen them up in attack Simeone is going to be looking to Carrasco and Correa to step up another notch next season in support of Griezmann.
 

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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Haha, yeah. Starting with trying to create a reunion at the club, by bringing some oldies back:lol:

Berizzo is hoping Nolito (or Navas) gets settled soon, since it is due to start the pre season. Amavi, Banega, Pizarro and Muriel are already settling with the squad for pre season tour.

Muriel is the most expensive signing in Sevilla's history (22-25 million euros), and also got the most expensive release clause in the club's history: 50 million euros.
You are a building quite a nice team , with Banega, Muriel and maybe Nolito or Navas as well. I think you are stronger than last season.
 

Afganitia

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Sevilla really breaking the bank here. Perhaps they already know that Vitolo is out.

Barça signing Paulino though...