Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.
La Liga has had its Christmas ‘break’ already – a luxurious ten days between the World Cup final and the return to action – but swung back into action on Thursday night.
The star of the show was, curiously, Joao Felix. Despite CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin admitting the Portuguese wants to leave the club, Felix was given his first La Liga start since mid-September. Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone told reporters that there was a way he could be important for Atleti going forward, amid relentless speculation about his destination. After scoring the opening goal and receiving the man of the match award in their 2-0 win over Elche, it’s worth wondering if the door to a happily ever after has cracked open just a little bit.
Meanwhile across the city, Toni Kroos’ ears were burning when he bizarrely found himself denigrated as one of the disappointments of the World Cup. Even though he retired from international duty after the 2018 edition. Here was his response on Twitter.
Davide Ancelotti has been on every bench with his father since Paris Saint-Germain a decade ago.
Kroos has mentioned retirement at the end of the season, but Real Madrid intend on persuading him to keep going after an impressive start to the season. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated that he will retire when he leaves Real Madrid. His deal expires in 2024 but it reports in Madrid say they have already found their successor – one Davide Ancelotti.
On the Costa Brava, near Barcelona, the accountants are working out just how far their budget will stretch next summer. It seems clear that Barcelona will try and compete with the likes of Chelsea for Borussia Dortmund starlet Youssoufa Moukoko, but they will do so employing a particular strategy that worked with Ousmane Dembele last season.
Although their lead didn’t last long, Croatia, thanks to a bullet header from defender Josko Gvardiol, drew first blood against Morocco in Saturday’s World Cup third-place game. After losing their semi-final 3-0 against Argentina, Luka Modric’s Croatia are looking to finish the prestigious international tournament in third place. The same can be said for Morocco,…
Manchester United have enquired about Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada ahead of the deadline. With Christian Eriksen facing a spell on the sidelines with injury, Manchester United could be looking to explore the transfer market in the final hours of the window for a new midfielder. An article from the Daily Mail has confirmed…
Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Everton midfielder Amadou Onana after being priced out of moves for other targets. Onana signed for Everton during the summer transfer window at the beginning of the season. With Everton struggling financially, selling some of their prized assets could be necessary to help them bring in reinforcements. Fabrizio…
Gary Neville, Micah Richards, and Roy Keane have been previewing the World Cup on Sky Bet, who have been releasing the show in parts. In one of the clips, Neville is trying to explain how Saudi Arabia will have the advantage of having tens and thousands of supporters in the stadium due to their easy…
West Ham have been offered the chance to sign Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko before the end of the January transfer window. That is according to 90min, who report that the Hammers have been offered the 26-year-old centre-back for €25m (£22m), alongside a number of other Premier League clubs. Matviyenko could be a useful signing for the Hammers…
