Copa del Rey round-up: Real Madrid labour to victory at third-tier Fuenlabrada

Real Madrid needed two second-half penalties converted by Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez to open their Copa del Rey campaign with a 2-0 last 32, first leg win at third-tier Fuenlabrada on Thursday.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane gave most of his star names the night off with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Isco and Sergio Ramos among those not even included in the squad.

However, Real's reserves failed to take their chance to impress in a sluggish first 45 minutes in which only Marcos Llorente's thunderous volley from outside the box tested Jordi Codina.

"I'm happy, we scored two goals and kept a clean sheet," insisted Zidane.

"We had patience. We knew we could find the gap in the second-half and we did."

Shorn of inspiration from open play, the visitors opened the scoring from the penalty spot when Fran Garcia pulled down Achraf Hakimi just after the hour mark and Asensio slotted home.

Codina temporarily kept Fuenlabrada in the tie with two stunning saves to deny Borja Mayoral.

But Real's second arrived 12 minutes from time when another pull from Paco Candela on Theo Hernandez saw him sent-off for a second yellow card and another penalty awarded to the European champions.

Read More: http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11827/11100001/copa-del-rey-round-up-real-madrid-labour-to-victory-at-third-tier-fuenlabrada

Tottenham striker Harry Kane almost joined Leeds United, according to former club scout

Tottenham were considering selling Harry Kane to Leeds United in 2014 but were ultimately persuaded not to by former midfielder, youth coach and manager Tim Sherwood, according to former Spurs scout David Magrone.

Kane is rightly seen as one of the world's best strikers, but before Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino decided to utilise him as his first-choice forward his career was at something of a crossroads. The 24-year-old was loaned to Leyton Orient, Norwich City, Millwall and Leicester City before being thrust into the limelight by Pochettino in 2014, but he failed to make a real name for himself at any of those clubs.

Tottenham will no doubt be glad that they decided against selling Kane, who is the Premier League's top goalscorer the season and a mooted target for Real Madrid, but Magrone, who worked as a European scout for the north London outfit, revealed that the Lilywhites have Sherwood to thank for convincing them to stick with the much admired England international.

"There was serious consideration among the hierarchy at the club to letting him go to Leeds," said Magrone in an interview with Australia's SBS. "He'd been out on loan and had never really set the world on fire.

Read More: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tottenham-striker-harry-kane-almost-joined-leeds-united-according-former-club-scout-1644902

Well Done Gunners – Raul Sannlehi’s Arrival At Arsenal Will Surely Make Things Better

A Massive Change? – Raul Sanllehi’s Appointment Will Make Arsenal A Better Club

Several reports indicate that Barcelona’s current sporting director Raul Sanllehi could soon be joining Arsenal football club. Sanllehi is currently in the final month of his contract with the Catalan club and has reportedly decided not to extend his contract.

Although the news of Sanllehi’s decision to end his time at Barcelona has been doing the rounds for a while, reports claim that he will soon be taking up his new role as sporting director at the Emirates.

The 48-year-old is expected to replace Dick Law as the director of operations at Arsenal and help Arsene Wenger secure important transfer targets from the market.

Sanllehi is a well-respected individual in Spanish football and is also a good friend of Ivan Gazidis who is Arsenal’s chief executive.

The appointment of Raul Sanllehi as sporting director will be a major step forward for Arsenal as the 48-year-old will bringing plenty of technicalities to the club’s backend. He has brought an immense amount of commercial growth for Barcelona in the past while also helping the Catalan club land some of the biggest players in world football including Neymar Jr from Santos.

Sanllehi is sure to bring the same success that he had brought for Nike in the past where worked as the General Manager as well as head of sales and marketing. Sanllehi is also known to be closely associated with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.

Arsenal haven’t exactly been doing well in terms commercial revenue in the last couple of years and are lagging behind their rivals. The appointment of Sanllehi will help the club catch up with them due to his experience and contacts in the field.

Sanllehi is also said to be the key figure in Gunners superstar Alexis Sanchez’s transfer to Barcelona from Udinese back in 2011. He was also responsible for convincing Neymar Jr to sign for Barcelona when he personally flew over to Brazil to complete the negotiation.

Raul Sanllehi’s arrival at Arsenal could be coming at the right time as he could possibly convince players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to remain at the club and show them the vision of success that he has brought about at Barcelona.

Arsenal are currently in a state of chaos, with a lack of major trophies in the last decade. Raul Sanllehi could be the perfect man to help Arsenal find success both on the pitch and commercially.

Read More: http://soccersouls.com/2017/10/28/well-done-gunners-raul-sannlehis-arrival-at-arsenal-will-surely-make-things-better/

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.

Read the full story

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.

Read the full story

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