Villarreal prioritise defence in summer transfers

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With La Liga clubs spending in excess of €800m in June 2019, most sides are looking to settle down and prepare for the new season, which kicks off on August 18.

However, one club that looks to be just getting started in their transfer dealings is Villarreal, with around €45m coming into the club from player sales so far.

Manager Javier Calleja has allowed fringe players Roberto Soriano and Nicola Sansone leave to Serie A side Bologna, for a combined fee of €15m, whilst key midfielder Pablo Fornals has moved to West Ham for €30m.

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Week 28: Best 11 Players in Fantasy La Liga

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Week 28 in La Liga saw Barcelona extend their lead at the top of the standings to 10 points after they destroyed Real Betis 4-1 whilst Atletico Madrid lost at Athletic Bilbao. Zinedine Zidane’s spectacular return to Real Madrid saw the club win 2-0 as their objective will be to finish as runners up. Below we take a look at the best 11 players who performed over this past weekend.

Goalkeeper: Iago Herrerin

Athletic Bilbao’s Iago Herrerin gets the vote for best goalkeeper of the weekend not only picking up 7pts but because the opposition was Atletico Madrid who are in 2nd place and this was the first time that they could not score a goal in over a month with Herrerin keeping a clean sheet. Herrerin is 4th in the goalkeeper standings and can be bought for just 5m.

Defender: Marcelo

Marcelo has been the forgotten player at Real Madrid starting just 13 games this season. But with the return of Zidane, he is back and got the most points for a defender this week with 7. Not only did he help keep a clean sheet in Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo but he assisted in Gareth Bale’s goal. Marcelo can be brought into your team for 8m and could well return as a regular under Zidane’s wing.

Defender: Sergio Ramos

Ramos was disciplined for Real Madrid’s latest victory and needed to be as yellow cards and reds has frequently lost him points. But he put in a solid mature display and picked up 5pts at the weekend. He is valued at 9m and is 3rd in the defender rankings.

Defender: Vitorino Antunes

Antunes was one of the best defenders in La Liga for week 28 and picked up 5pts with his club Getafe who drew 0-0 with Valencia. It was  a massive result as it kept Getafe in 4th place. He has been solid all season and is just 6m to buy.

Defender: Damian Suarez

The reason that Getafe have conceded just 24 goals this season is mostly down to Suarez’s leadership at the back. And he earned 5pts by keeping Valencia quiet. The player can be brought into your team for 8.5m.

Midfielder: Portu

Portu, the Girona midfielder had a weekend to remember as he scored both goals in his teams 2-0 win over Leganes. He earned a whopping 10pts at the weekend by doing so and his team kept a clean sheet. He is 9th in the rankings for midfielders and can be brought in for 8.5m which looks a bargain.

Midfielder: Mario Suarez

Mario Suarez scored Rayo Vallecano’s only goal to earn 4pts at the weekend despite his team losing 3-1 to Villarreal. At the same time Suarez earned amongst the most points of midfielders at the weekend  as he scored his first goal of the season. He is valued at 3m.

Midfielder: Borja

Borja saw his team Girona win 2-0 and move up the table. He has been reliable this season and has scored a few goals with some assists. He could be a shrewd transfer and comes in at 7m.

Midfielder: Adrian Januzaj

Januzaj scored the opening goal for Real Sociedad which ended up earning his team a point and moving into 10th spot. He is valued at 6.5m and assists more (3 this season) than scores, and this was his first goal of the season. But with 4pts he has made the team of the week.

Striker: Lionel Messi

No player even comes close to the great Lionel Messi this week as he scored a fantastic hattrick against Real Betis to earn a whopping 14pts. He now has 143pts in Fantasy La Liga standings and is 60pts ahead of 2nd placed Luis Suarez. If you can afford him Messi will unsurprisingly set you back 20m.

Striker: Karl Toko Ekambi

Villarreal have struggled this season but perhaps Ekambi has found his scoring boots as the forward scored twice at the weekend against Vallecano. His goals could save the club from relegation. He has 6 goals this season and can be snapped up for 6m.

How well do you know Spanish football? Want to challenge the best La Liga Fantasy Managers? Play www.liga-fantasy.com now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vicente Iborra set for La Liga return with Villarreal

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Vicente Iborra looks set to return to La Liga, after 18 months with Premier League side Leicester City, with Villarreal is likely destination.

Iborra, who won three Europa League titles during his time at Sevilla between 2013 and 2017, was signed by The Foxes to bolster their midfield options following the exits of N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater, to Chelsea.

The move was heralded as Leicester moving in the right direction after big name departures, as the 2015-16 Premier League champions saw off a number of interested parties to get the deal over the line.

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Villarreal looking for La Liga boost in Europe

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Villarreal begin their Europa League campaign against Rangers on Thursday night, and the Yellow Submarine need a positive result to kick start their La Liga campaign.

Javier Calleja’s side finished the 2017-18 season strongly, winning four of their last six La Liga games to seal a fifth place finish, and Europa League football for 2018-19.

However they have not been able to pick up where they left off at the start of the new campaign, with two defeats and a draw in their first three league matches.

That miserable run was ended last weekend, with a much needed 1-0 victory away at Leganes, but the issues remain.

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Angers’ Ismael Traore wins Ligue 1 Player of the Week accolade

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This week’s Ligue 1 Player of the Week accolade goes to Angers defender Ismael Traore.

Perhaps an unexpected recipient of the accolade, the 31-year-old central defender delivered a steadfast performance as his side ran out 3-0 victors in their home clash with a Guingamp side that have been tough to beat in recent weeks.

Angers took the lead in the very first minute when Flavien Tait headed home from a deliciously floated in cross to bag an unexpected first goal of the campaign.

What followed was a tight affair between the two clubs that saw Guingamp dominate much of the fixture but fail to create opportunities as they came up against a Continue reading