The won and lost faces of the League

Tonight at El Sadar, with Osasuna-Sevilla (9:00 p.m., Movistar LaLiga), the strangest league competition of recent times begins. A World Cup that stops the League in November and a collapsed schedule from start to finish attest to this. Likewise, among the rarities of this new football, the atypical summer window for transfers of a tournament that lost economic dominance against British fortunes years ago stands out. The peculiarity of this phenomenon lies in a particular anomaly: while the Premier League has already invested 1,474 million euros in transfersthe Serie A 600 and in Spain only 410, Barcelona is in charge of acquiring the most luxurious talent in the market to once again be a relevant team on the continent.

Thus, those of Laporta, Mateu and company are after Chelsea the club that has invested the most in signings (153 million euros) in the world. Obviously, this does not affect the paradigm of the average Spanish team whose accounts tremble as they move towards a progressively more unequal scenario than before.

At the moment, the competition is held by the champion of everything, Real Madrid; the healthy Atlético after the prolonged stay of Simeone; a Barcelona on the way to recovery and a handful of teams that, despite having fewer resources than their European counterparts, continue to impose their yoke on the highest continental level (clubs like Sevilla or Villarreal serve as examples). But, the numbers don’t lie and the monetary gap begins to be lengthened in relation to foreign leagues. And, therefore, the most valued players on the planet, with the exception of our three greats, have been opting for the spotlight of Anglo-Saxon football for years.

Be that as it may, despite the monetary breakdown, the League remains one of the most attractive products on the world sports scene. And with the arrival of men like Lewandowski, Raphinha or Tchouaméni, the charm is accentuated.

The delights of Barcelona

Among all the new additions of those of Xavi Hernández, without a doubt Robert Lewandowski is the man who most excites Barcelona. A vintage striker arrives at the Camp Nou, a striker who after years of goals and success in Munich adding Bundesligas, Champions and continental beatings to Barça himself, still has the ability to compete face to face with Benzema for the merit of being the best competition player. He is 33 years old and perhaps his best years are over, but his physical and sporting level in recent seasons at Bayern was optimal. In fact, the Pole will debut tomorrow in the heat of his fans against Rayo Vallecano.

Another name that generates smiles in the Barcelona fans is that of Raphinha. Barça paid 58 million euros to Leeds, a team that struggled not to be relegated to the Championship last year, for the skilled Brazilian winger. The exorbitant price and the unknown name of his surname generated some animosity among the fans, but, after his great match against Real Madrid in preseason, doubts dissipated. With him, the League welcomes a born dribbler, a footballer of the Robinho or Denilson lineage; players who, with exceptions like Vinicius or Rodrygo, ceased to exist years ago.

However, apart from the fireworks on the offensive plot, perhaps Koundé’s is the most important signing of the Catalan club. The Frenchman, who proved to be an elite central defender in Seville, is a breath of fresh air for a defense weakened by the passage of time and the setbacks in Europe. Together with Araújo, the best defensive news for the club in recent times, and Christensen, signed at zero cost at the end of his contract at Tuchel’s Chelsea where he was important, Barça has rebuilt its defense. Piqué’s role, an unknown.

In addition, Barcelona has acquired Kessie, a classy midfielder who was essential in Milan’s Scudetto last year. Thus, while the names of Bernardo Silva and Marcos Alonso are still sounding to shore up a fearsome squad, the renewed Barcelona seems to recover its mark.

In contrast, austerity reigns in the capital. Both Real Madrid and Atlético have not made large outlays, but their subtle signings improve two top-level squads.

The capital shields its defense

After the disappointing no from Mbappé, Real Madrid did not lose their temper and balanced their team even more. Thus, Aurélien Tchouaméni arrived for 80 million euros from Monaco to shield the defensive pivot. The 22-year-old Frenchman, a refuted talent both in Ligue 1 and in the French team, starts a priori as Casemiro’s substitute, although his name, like Camavinga’s, will be relevant in Ancelotti’s plans.

Similar luck runs Antonio Rudiger. Vital in the Champions League champion Chelsea, the new Real Madrid signing came off the bench (to replace Carvajal on the right-hand side) in the recent European Super Cup against Eintracht. Madrid won and the defensive pairing formed by Militao and Alaba shone again; ownership in the white defense is very expensive.

For its part, Atlético de Madrid has also reinforced its rearguard, the Achilles heel of Simeone’s men last year. Because, although Axel Witsel has arrived (at zero cost after leaving Borussia de Dortmund) and his natural position resides in midfield, Simeone has used the versatile Belgian central player in defense of five. In fact, the good performance of veteran Witsel makes it likely that he will start as a defender against Getafe at the Coliseum. Likewise, the reinforcement that Cholo longed for the most was that of a left winger, an orphan position after Trippier’s departure to Newcastle last January. Consequently, after paying 20 million euros to Udinese, Nahuel Molina covers a key gap. An offensive gale that stood out in Calcio, a fixture in Scaloni’s Argentina, will run the metropolitan band.

Special mention deserves one of the signings of the summer in the League. The rumors became reality and Sevilla managed to get Isco’s services. At the end of his contract with Real Madrid and after several years without prominence in the white club, the man from Malaga is looking for a new opportunity in Nervión. Too much class, if he gets in good shape he could go back to being that player he was, a boy capable of lifting the staff from the seat with his category. He wants to play the World Cup and under the shelter of Lopetegui, a coach similar to his characteristics, he will have minutes.

those who left

Although there is still more than half a month to go until the end of the summer market, it is not being a summer of exodus in the League. Perhaps the most embarrassing loss is that of Gonçalo Guedes to the English Wolverhampton in exchange for 33 million euros because Lim’s Valencia continues his particular purge. On the other hand, the talents that have inevitably left Spanish football are diverse: while the Premier League returns to fishing in the League (Diego Carlos and Coutinho at Aston Villa; Lenglet at Tottenham), Gareth Bale and Riqui Puig try their luck in the MLS, Luuk de Jong returns to PSV, Mathias Oliveira signs for Napoli and the future of former Real Madrid captain Marcelo, as of August 12, is still up in the air.

–