Louis van Gaal has been having immense fun with the world’s media this off-season. Last week he told a throng of salivating journalists that he had a “surprise” signing in the pipeline, leading all and sundry to waste copious amounts of ink/cloud space pontificating about said surprise's identity.
There’s been no action on the pitch since mid-May in the English Premier League. However, us enthusiasts out there have been able to keep our sanity in large part due to a plethora of transfer rumors, 90% of which never actually come through – your Bale-to-United’s and Benzema-to-Arsenal’s of the world. However, the 10% that do materialize make you question everything you once knew about the game.
The temptation to believe that Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid is at an all time high. As the team continues its preseason exhibition tour in China, the French international has posted a photo to Instagram of himself in a plane separate from the rest of the team, with the caption “let’s leave the past in the past.”
While he’s yet to dot his two I’s, it’s as certain as low wages at Walmart that Angel di Maria will sign a contract with Paris St Germain in the coming days. Less than 12 months after shelling out a British record £59.7 million for the Argentine Champions League winner, Manchester United are expected to agree to a fee of around £45 million that will see the former Real Madrid midfielder cross the English Channel.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic says what he feels all of the time, and a lot of the time that involves letting someone know that he is better than them.
When asked who he thought was the best looking woman in the world, he responded, “I don’t know, but when I find her I will date her.”
He’s arrogant, there is no getting around that, but hearing his ignorance it is hard to not think of a famous Muhammad Ali quote: it’s not bragging if you can back it up.
Real Madrid is stuck in a sticky spot after they let longtime goalkeeper Iker Casillas go on to Porto after 25 years with the club. To replace him Real Madrid is looking to make a deal for Manchester United keeper David De Gea, but it looks like the Red Devils won’t be willing to let him go without Sergio Ramos in exchange.
A solemn farewell to Casillas leaves backup keeper Jesus Navas, who is also Costa Rica’s first choice keeper. He had a great World Cup, but had a dismal first season for Real Madrid.
It’s been a tumultuous few months for Javier Hernandez. At the turn of the year, Chicharito was on bench-warming duties at the Santiago Bernabau, seemingly unwanted by both his new employers in the Spanish capital as well as his paymasters back in Manchester.
Thomas Muller has been one of the key players behind Bayern Munich’s success in recent years, as well as the German National Team which won the last World Cup in 2014.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper Diario AS, Iker Casillas's agent, Santos Marquez, made Real Madrid President Florentino Perez out to be an insane person.
Marquez, obviously, was not too thrilled about how his client's departure from Real Madrid went down.
There is a very real possibility that Manchester United could sign a striker, according to Louis van Gaal.
Ironically, after a season in which the Red Devils’ strike corp was arguably its most talented set of players, they find themselves with a dearth of midfield options, a bolstered defense, and only one proven senior striker: Wayne Rooney (Apologies to Javier Hernandez).
Many think that the team needs to buy another striker, and van Gaal has not ruled out more spending, although he didn’t say specifically what positions further spending would increase.