Paper Round: Manchester United fight Arsenal for Barcelona striker Jose Arnaiz

Manchester United and Arsenal want Jose Arnaiz, Liverpool chase Roma's Emerson Palmieri, Newcastle have a £300m pricetag, and Antonio Conte is angry.

United battle Arsenal for Barcelona striker

Manchester United could go head to head with Arsenal for young Barcelona striker Jose Arnaiz. The 22-year-old made his debut for the club in midweek in a 3-0 win over Murcia, and scored an impressive goal. Arnaiz moved from Valladolid in the summer for £1.5m, but has already been attracting attention from the continent, with Bayern Munich also interested. His release clause is set at 20 million euros, and he could soon be on the move again.

Paper Round's view: United and Arsenal missed out in the summer, and perhaps it shows how poor the scouting network is in the Premier League. United and Arsenal rarely spend under £20m for a player these days, but Barcelona have shown that bargains are to be found abroad. Both will be in the market for strikers following the exit of (probably) Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez, and will not necessarily need a senior striker in their place.

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Liverpool target Palmieri

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is looking to solve his defensive woes with the transfer of Emerson Palmieri from Roma. The 23-year-old Brazilian is rated at £22m by the Italian club, and is making his return to first team action after suffering cruciate ligament damage in May. Liverpool have conceded 16 goals in nine league games, and are looking to strengthen in January. Palmieri was a target for Liverpool before his most recent injury.

Paper Round's view: Klopp has had two years with some fairly competent defenders, and has improved none of them so far, so perhaps the most sensible option for Liverpool is to give him fully formed players rather than hoping he develops the ones in his squad. It is, however, questionable as to why they brought in Andrew Robertson if they were not going to give him the chance to settle in defence before adding another full-back.

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PCP Partners prepare bid for Newcastle

Newcastle United could become the latest club to come under the control of international owners, as PCP Partners prepare a £300m bid for Newcaste United. It is believed that Amanda Staveley wants to complete the transaction by December in order to give Rafael Benitez the chance to spend in the winter transfer window. Current owner Mike Ashley had valued his club at around £380m previously, suggesting the deal may not be too far off.

Ronaldo Imposter Arrested on Sidelines of Real Madrid vs Getafe

A fake Critsiano Ronaldo was arrested in Real Madrid's game against Getafe on Saturday.

The imposter dressed in a full Real Madrid kit before trying to get onto the pitch to play with his Los Blancos heroes.

Admittedly, most of us would wish we were Cristiano Ronaldo, with his footballing ability, looks and body, as well as the money the four time Ballon d'Or winner possesses.

However, the act of actually dressing as him and trying to be a lookalike, while attempting to get on the pitch in one of his games, would be a step too far for most of us.

It may be the dream of many aspiring young children to be like Ronaldo and even dress up and act like him, however as adults it's something we wouldn't usually do.

Nevertheless, one avid fan took that step in yesterday's game against Getafe and almost managed a game!

The imposter dressed in full Real Madrid kit and tried to get onto the pitch for Los Blancos during their 1-2 against Getafe on Saturday.

Nevertheless the fake Ronaldo only managed to get as far as the sidelines before being stopped by police, arrested and then escorted away, a good attempt but it inevitably ended in failure.

However, the imposter seemed to bring Ronaldo and his side some good luck on the day.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/la-liga/photo-ronaldo-imposter-arrested-on-sidelines-of-real-madrid-vs-getafe/ar-AAtuiOv

European Paper Talk: Neymar to receive bonus if he wins Ballon d'Or

The summer transfer window may have closed for the majority of clubs across Europe but they are already making moves ahead of January.

Our friends at Football Whispers have scoured media across Europe for the latest news and transfer rumours.

France

Paris Saint-Germain will pay Neymar a bonus of €3m (£2.6m) if he wins the Ballon d'Or.

The Brazilian forward left Barcelona for the French club in the summer and has been in scintillating form for Unai Emery's side, scoring eight goals and notching seven assists in his first nine games. (Le Parisien)

Spain

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl has emerged as a Manchester City transfer target for Pep Guardiola. The 22-year-old, who is also wanted by Barcelona, is considered to be one of the rising stars in European football and Guardiola is keen to bolster his midfield with Fernandinho and Yaya Toure both out of contract in the summer. (AS)

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has emerged as a Barcelona transfer target. The Senegalese centre-half, who was also linked with Chelsea in the summer, decided to stay with Napoli in order to help them challenge for the Serie A title.

Fast and technically gifted, Barcelona have identified him as a proficient ball-playing defender who could fit in well at the Nou Camp.

But it might take a bid of around £60m to lure the 26-year-old away from Naples. (Mundo Deportivo)

Celta Vigo have entered the race for Barcelona striker and Southampton transfer target Paco Alcacer. The former Valencia frontman has struggled to establish himself in the first-team at the Nou Camp. (Onda Cero)

Harry Kane still not at Gareth Bale's level ahead of Bernabeu trip, says Phil Neville

In the latest Super 6 Class of ’92 diary, Phil Neville discusses Tottenham's trip to Real Madrid on Tuesday night, and grades Salford City's start as a professional outfit.

Spurs face their biggest test in years when heading to Madrid on Tuesday night, and Neville believes it could be an overwhelming experience for a number of Mauricio Pochettino's players when they walk out at the Bernabeu.

The biggest of stages

I don't think it is mission impossible at the Bernabeu but I do think it will give us a barometer of how good this Spurs side are. Are they capable of playing at the top level of European football?

I think when you go there for the first time it does blow you away, when you come up those steps from the dressing room and you see this cauldron you're about to play in. It's also the history of the football club and I think Tottenham will find this fixture really difficult.

We talked a lot recently about Anfield being a good barometer for Manchester United players over the years and I think the Bernabeu and Nou Camp are stadiums and occasions where it really tests you mentally and physically.

Playing at the Bernabeu is a special, special experience. Something that most Tottenham players probably haven't done in their careers and it will be interesting to see how they do, and whether this young side play with the same determination and quality as they do in the Premier League.

Source: 

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11084160/harry-kane-still-not-at-gareth-bales-level-ahead-of-bernabeu-trip-says-phil-neville

Bayern part company with Carlo Ancelotti

Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness claims that a number of players turned against Carlo Ancelotti in the build-up to the manager's departure from the club.

Carlo Ancelotti left his post as coach of Bayern Munich in the wake of the Bundesliga champions' 3-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League.

In an interview with German publication Westfalenpost, Hoeness said that certain dressing-room tensions contributed to the end of Ancelotti's reign at the club.

"There were five players against Ancelotti," he said. "It was impossible to get out of that."

The departure of the 58-year-old Italian, who has also managed Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid, was announced by the Bavarian club on Thursday afternoon.

He leaves with Bayern third in the Bundesliga table behind Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim after four wins from six games and second behind PSG in Champions League Group B after defeat to the French side in Paris.

Ancelotti had been in charge at Bayern since the summer of 2016.

Assistant coach Willy Sagnol has taken charge of the team, who return to Bundesliga action at Hertha Berlin on Sunday, on an interim basis.

Ancelotti's backroom team of Davide Ancelotti, Giovanni Mauri, Francesco Mauri and Mino Fulco have also left the club.

A statement on the club website said Ancelotti had left after "internal analysis" following the defeat to PSG.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "The performance of our team since the start of the season did not meet the expectations we put to them. The game in Paris clearly showed that we had to draw consequences.

"(Bayern sporting director) Hasan Salihamidzic and I had an open and serious discussion with Carlo today and informed him of our decision.

"I would like to thank Carlo for his co-operation and regret this development. Carlo is my friend and will remain (so), but we had to make a professional decision for FC Bayern.

"I now expect the team to have a positive development and absolute performance, so we can reach our goals for this season."

Atletico fall short of ending a seven-year drought against Barcelona

Luis Suarez's 82nd-minute header denied Atletico Madrid a first LaLiga win over Barcelona in seven years.

Barca's perfect start to the league campaign ended with a 1-1 draw in the capital, though they were on course to leave empty-handed when Saul Niguez fired home after 21 minutes.

Atleti have knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League twice in recent years but a success over them in their domestic division has proved elusive since Valentine's Day 2010, and so it proved again as Suarez rose at the back post to head in substitute Sergi Roberto's cross.

The visitors nearly went ahead inside 30 seconds, when Saul made his first key contribution in front of his own goal.

Lionel Messi cut in off the right flank, played a one-two with Suarez and shrugged off Filipe Luis only for Saul to poke the ball behind as Barcelona's key man prepared to pull the trigger.

Atleti woke up and dominated the rest of the first period, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen brilliantly denying Antoine Griezmann on two occasions.

The first was a fine one-handed save at his near post after Andres Iniesta gave the ball and Ter Stegen thwarted Griezmann again, this time with his left leg, after the Frenchman had driven into the box by nutmegging Gerard Pique.

Ter Stegen would be beaten in the 21st minute when Saul unleashed an unstoppable attempt beyond him from 25 yards. The 22-year-old drifted off Ivan Rakitic to collect Yannick Carrasco's pass and fired a right-footed shot that swerved past Ter Stegan and into the net.

Suarez, who had left for international duty having scored just twice, did not initially seem buoyed by his midweek double for Uruguay as he pulled out of a header from a Messi free-kick when unmarked.

This was an Atleti side who had conceded just once in the league since August and their defensive resolve was evident when Stefan Savic blocked a Suarez shot just before the break.

The former Liverpool forward had the best chance of the early second-half exchanges when he breezed beyond Diego Godin and rifled in a try that Jan Oblak was behind.

Home fans inside the Wanda Metropolitano feared the worst when Messi won a free-kick 25 yards out. However, Barcelona's number 10, so often Atleti's nemesis, curled his dead-ball effort onto the outside of the post.

Suarez wanted a set piece inside the box when the ball may have come up and struck Savic's arm, though the referee was disinterested and the replays were inconclusive.

Messi fired just wide as Barcelona's confidence grew and Suarez nearly levelled when free inside the box only for a poor first touch to precede a weak attempt at Oblak.

Yet opportunities continued to come his way and Suarez peeled away from Savic to reach Roberto's cross and nod down past Oblak.

Andre Gomes almost reached Suarez again and the final kick of the game was Messi's free-kick from the edge of the box which Oblak managed to hold on to.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017/1014/912423-atletico-fall-short-of/

Madrid match a marker Of Tottenham's progress under Pochettino

When Tottenham Hotspur line up at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night, they will be greeted by two familiar faces in the Real Madrid ranks.

Luka Modric and Gareth Bale both made their name in Lilywhite, before swapping London for the Spanish capital.

Both played for Spurs on their last visit here, in the 2011 Champions League quarter final.

They epitomised Harry Redknapp’s swashbuckling side – Bale’s pace and power, Modric’s guile and artistry.

Yet when the two Madrid players look at this Spurs side, they will see a very different team to the one they left.

That side, vaunted at the time for its attacking flair, was also erratic.

In a season memorable for the 3-1 'Taxi for Maicon' victory over Inter Milan at White Hart Lane, and a backs-to-the-wall two-legged victory over their city rivals AC, they also lost at home to Wigan Athletic, and away at Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool.

That Champions League campaign, which ended with a tame 5-0 aggregate defeat at the hands of Real, arguably marked the apex for Redknapp’s Spurs, and put their best players firmly in the shop window.

Bale’s heroics papered over the cracks of Modric’s departure in 2012.

Almost single-handedly, the Welshman took Spurs to the brink of a return to the Champions League, only to miss out on the final day of the 2012/13 season.

When Madrid returned that summer with a world-record bid, Bale left, and Spurs, now under the stewardship of Andre Villas-Boas, withered.

A side that had been built around Bale, and that had failed to replace Modric, floundered without them. It seemed that Spurs' quest to establish themselves as a Premier League and European force would fall short.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, they have risen from the ashes of that former side, a younger, more rounded, and arguably more talented force.

The Argentine has delivered Premier League era-best finishes of 3rd and 2nd in consecutive campaigns.

Last season, Spurs amassed 86 points, comfortably surpassing the previous club record of 72 set, incidentally, in Bale's final season.

This is a side bristling with talent, but one also endowed with a steeliness and work-ethic that eluded its predecessors.

The attacking flair remains - the team led the Premier League scoring charts last season - but it is now underpinned by a miserly defence that has conceded the fewest goals in the league for two years running.

There are certain similarities in personnel.

Harry Kane has taken on the talismanic role once occupied by Bale. The England captain has scored at least 25 goals for the club in each of the last 3 seasons – the first player to achieve that feat since Martin Chivers in the early ‘70s.

Christian Eriksen is the heartbeat of the team, much as Modric was.

He exerts a more attacking influence than the Croat – only Kevin De Bruyne registered more assists than the Dane in the league last season – but as was often said of Modric, Spurs are a better side when Eriksen is on form.

Dele Alli, too, bears a certain resemblance to Rafael van der Vaart in his spatial awareness and talent for arriving, unmarked, in goal-scoring positions.

Yet where Redknapp’s squad thinned noticeably beyond those stars, the current side boasts a remarkable parity of talent throughout.

Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have formed an imperious partnership at the back.

Together with Hugo Lloris, and often supplemented by a third centre-back in the shape of Eric Dier or new signing Davinson Sanchez, they provide an assured bedrock that was often lacking with popular but error-prone players such as Michael Dawson, Heurelho Gomes, or William Gallas.

Mousa Dembélé and Victor Wanyama bring bite and drive to the midfield, equally adept at breaking up opposition attacks or starting their own, and are clear upgrades on the likes of Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone.

Heung-Min Son, who has struggled to get into the starting XI in the opening weeks of this campaign, scored 14 times in the league last season – more than any Spurs player managed in 2010/11.

This wealth of talent has brought with it an added resilience when the team faces setbacks.

Many suspected that Spurs would fall apart when Harry Kane suffered injuries last season.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017/1016/912724-madrid-match-a-marker-of-tottenhams-progress-under-poc/