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It’s been contended for a while now that Barcelona’s transfer policy has become a little ‘scattergun,’ with the right sort of players often not being signed by the club.
A preference for bigger names over what’s truly required.
Antoine Griezmann is a case in point, with the Barca dressing room allegedly split on his arrival.
A move for the Frenchman’s current Atletico Madrid team-mate, Filipe Luis, is another head scratcher. Continue reading
La Liga champions FC Barcelona are set to be busy in this summer’s transfer market with potentially over €20m being spent by the Catalan side to strengthen their options ahead of 2019-20.
La Blaugrana have already secured the signing of Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong, and they have been heavily linked with a move for his team mate Matthijs De Ligt, as well as a second bid for Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann.
However, manager Ernesto Valverde is also set to look at other areas of his squad that need attention in the coming weeks and months.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is set for a busy summer in the transfer market, with the biggest exodus of his time in charge in La Liga, expected in the coming months.
The Argentinian is set to remodel his side for 2019-20, with experienced players moving on and uncertainty surrounding other players in the squad.
Defenders Diego Godin and Filipe Luis look increasingly likely to leave in the summer, when their contracts expire at the Wanda Metropolitano.
That means defensive reinforcements are a priority, in particular a replacement for Godin, who has been central throughout Simeone’s time in charge.
There are doubts over the futures of Saul Niguez and Rodri, with Manchester City interested in both midfielders – however Simeone is unlikely to let either leave, having worked so hard to keep them away from Barcelona in the past 12 months.
The main issue, alongside Godin, could be finding a fresh attacker to partner Antoine Griezmann.
The French international has committed his own future to the club, after another round of speculation linking him with Barcelona.
However, the club are looking to part ways with controversial striker Diego Costa, after he received a eight game following a red card against Barcleona earlier this month.
Simeone has been standoffish on the subject, claiming the Spanish international deserved to be punished, but remained ambiguous as to whether or not he was actually guilty.
The club’s hierarchy appear to have now lost patience, and want to move Costa on, and are willing to take a cut price offer for the former Chelsea man.
Gelson Martins is set to make his loan move to Monaco a permanent one at the end of the season, with Luciano Vietto set to head off to Portugal as a makeweight in the deal.
Alvaro Morata’s loan looks set to stand, with Chelsea’s attempts to recall him early due to their transfer ban, set to be rebuffed by FIFA – however he could go back to London at the end of the 2019-20 season.
That leaves just Griezmann, Morata and Nikola Kalinic, who has also been linked with an exit, as Simeone’s only strikers, unless he can make a move.
Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi could be the ideal fit to replace Costa, and act as a foil for Griezmann, however Simeone will have to battle Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to bring the Argentinian international in.
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Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is bracing himself for some big name exits this summer, as his experienced core nears the end of their La Liga careers.
The Argentinian is well aware of the ageing of his squad, however there appears to be little he can do to convince his stalwarts to agree to one last battle.
Defensive pair Diego Godin and Filipe Luis, who have been at the bedrock of Simeone’s side for the best part of a decade, but will leave when their contracts expire this summer.
It was a weekend that saw Atletico Madrid close the gap on league leaders Barcelona to 9 points after Barca rested most of their first team squad in order to prepare for their Champions League match against Manchester United in midweek. But Barca will surely still win the league. Real Madrid do not play until today but given that they are 8 points clear of 4th place their Champions League participation will be assured for next season.
Below in a formation of 4-4-2 we look at the best performers in La Liga over this past weekend and see if you had any of these top performing players in your line up.
Goalkeeper: Sergio Asenjo-Villarreal
Sergio Asenjo had an important job to do even if the goalkeepers of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona earned the same points. Villarreal are struggling with relegation and Asenjo was able to keep a clean sheet and make important saves as his team beat Girona 1-0 to move 2 points clear of the bottom three. It was the clubs first clean sheet in the last 5 games.
Defender: Xabier Etxeita- Huesca
Etxeita was the defender for Huesca that really stood out at the weekend to earn his 5pts. Huesca played league leaders Barcelona, and while Barca did rest the majority of their first teamers, Etxeita remained disciplined in defence and made sure his team got a famous point against the Catalan giants. He is valued at 3m.
Defender: Filipe Luis- Atletico Madrid
It was a typical solid performance from Filipe Luis as Atletico eased to a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo to move within 9 points of Barcelona and pull 5 points clear of Real Madrid. Luis has had an outstanding season and is valued at 6.5m.
Defender: Alvaro G. Soberon- Villarreal
Soberon won’t be on many of the team of the week lists but he shored up a Villarreal defence as the team who have struggled all season got a huge result at the weekend by beating Girona 1-0 away from home. He has earned just 7 points this season and 5 of them came at the weekend. He can be bought for 4.5m.
Defender: Jeison Murillo- Barcelona
Murillo is seldom used at Barcelona but the 26 year old was drafted into the team as Ernesto Valverde opted to rest the majority of players. It is to Murillo’s credit that he stayed focused and made some good blocks as Barca kept a clean sheet, impressive given a wealth of this team were playing together for the first time.
Midfielder: Sarabia- Sevilla
Sarabia had a fantastic game as Sevilla took on their arch rivals not only did he assist in the first goal for the club but he then scored the 2nd and Sevilla won a thrilling game 3-2 for Sarabia to earn 6pts at the weekend. The player is currently the highest ranked in midfielders with 78pts and is valued at 7m.
Midfielder: Giovani Lo Celso- Real Betis
Keeping with the Sevilla derby on the other end was Lo Celso and Betis who put in a big performance before losing 3-2. Lo Celso did score though to make it 6 goals this season and was a threat in the match.
Midfielder: Franco Vasquez- Sevilla
Vasquez has stepped up his game in recent weeks as Sevilla look to finish 4th and claim a Champions League berth. He also scored what turned out to be Sevilla’s 3rd and winning goal in the derby against Betis and earned his 4pts this past weekend.
Midfielder: Pablo Fornals- Villarreal
Fornals has earned 25pts this season and was the best midfielder that Villarreal had at the weekend earning 3pts for helping his team keep a clean sheet and keeping his midfield together as they got a vital away win over Girona. Fornals can be brought into your side for 8m.
Striker: Santi Mina- Valencia
Santi Mina earned the most points of any striker this past weekend with 8. Mina scored 2 goals as his team beat Levante 3-1 to edge closer to a Champions League spot he has a total of just 14 pts but could have a strong finish to the season and is valued at 7m.
Striker: Inaki Williams- Athletic Bilbao
Inaki Williams really helped Bilbao out at the weekend by scoring a brace as his side won 3-2 in a game that included them missing a penalty. The win was huge and Bilbao have a chance for a Europa League finish. Williams has earned 49pts and is worth 7.5
Do you have what it takes to challenge the best La Liga Fantasy Managers? If you’re up for the challenge then play www.liga-fantasy.com now!m.
Atletico Madrid are set for a transfer shake up this summer, with the La Liga side preparing for a number of arrivals and departures from the Wanda Metropolitano in the coming weeks.
Diego Simeone will have his work cut out to keep some of his star names, with Los Rojiblancos set to end the season empty handed for another year, and the vultures will be circling over the Spanish capital.
French international Antoine Griezmann has confirmed that he will be remaining with the club, which has put an end to another potential summer of transfer speculation over a move to Barcelona.
This weekend sees another full lineup of La Liga action including the mighty El Clasico which takes place at the Bernabeu in Madrid on Saturday evening.
Real Madrid will be keen to put a halt to Barcelona’s march towards another La Liga title. A win for the home side would put them back within six points of Ernesto Valverde’s league leaders with 12 games remaining. Clearly, there’s still a lot to play for going into this gameweek.
Elsewhere, second-placed Atletico Madrid travel to play Real Sociedad while Sevilla are away to bottom-of-the-table Huesca.
The next round of La Liga fixtures is all set for this weekend, and so it is now time to take a look at which players may be worth giving a second look for inclusion into your fantasy teams over the coming days. La Liga bottom club Huesca face a difficult trip yo Espanyol, and while that may prove a tough test for the hosts they do not have the worst goalscoring record in the league. Villarreal, Valencia and Getafe have all been disappointing in front of goal this term, netting just six goals each so far. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, are the only side in the top six yet to reach double figures with their nine successful strikes so far, while Barcelona have scored the most on 10 – just a shade ahead of league leaders Sevilla on 18. Real Betis have scored the least in the league, though, with just five strikes. With that in mind, let’s take a 4-4-2 and get cracking.
After being involved in the title race for successive seasons, Atletico Madrid endured a relatively disappointing year in La Liga last season. Continue reading
Atletico Madrid managed to grab the third spot at the end of the domestic season, but overall, it can be said that they had quite an underwhelming domestic season. Continue reading
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