The Big Transfers in La Liga: Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, and David Villa to Barcelona
The new La Liga season starts on the 28th of August, and the preparations have been going on since the end of last season. Last season, Barcelona won the title, but they fell short in their Champions League bid. On the other hand, Real Madrid failed to win any silverware, despite their huge spending in transfers. Sevilla won the Copa Del Rey, but they failed to put up a considerable challenge on the top two teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Valencia regained their spot in the Champions League; however, they were constantly troubled by their monetary problems. Also, Atlético Madrid had a below par season, despite the presence of quality in their squad.
All the teams had their shortcomings, which were to be filled during the current transfer window (before the deadline). Also, many players were considered as burdens, and were relieved during this time. With the exception of Manchester City, the most hustle was seen in La Liga, as the clubs signed new players and let go of the old ones.
The biggest transfer this summer was between Inter Milan and Real Madrid. However, instead of a player, it was Internazionale’s manager who made his way to Real Madrid. After spending huge money on big players, Real Madrid realized that their weakness lies in their manager, so they got Jose Mourinho, one of the best in the world. In his previous season with Internazionale, Mourinho won an incredible treble, including his second success in the Champions League. In his road to glory, Mourinho also beat Barcelona, a squad superior to his own squad, on the basis of better tactics. As Madrid’s desire is to beat Barcelona in the next season, therefore, Mourinho was their first signing during this summer.
Barcelona’s weakness lied in their striking options. With Thierry Henry getting older and the failure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pep Guardiola had limited options. Only Lionel Messi is capable of getting goals day in and day out, while other players are just good as support. Therefore, Barcelona’s first signing of the year was David Villa from Valencia.
The recent success of Barcelona in the 2008-2009 season was due to their striking options. Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry shared more than a hundred goals amongst them, which gave the Catalans an upper hand during the season. However, the same edge was missing in the following season, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eto’o’s replacement, and Henry failed to a greater extent. Their success in La Liga was greatly due to a superb season by Lionel Messi alone. However, the teams cannot rely on a single player for a whole season, therefore, a remedial action was needed. David Villa has a potential to score a lot of goals, while he has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world. His presence would fill the void of a striker at Camp Nou, and the team seems better than the last season.
Apart from these big signings, there are other players who joined or left La Liga. However, none would have a greater impact than David Silva, who left Valencia for good. Valencia was facing some financial troubles, so after giving Villa away, they decided to let go of David Silva as well. The young winger went to Manchester City in pursuance of his dreams. However, he left a big void in Valencia that would not be filled easily. Silva, along with Villa, had some great moments with Valencia, as both these players were instrumental in getting Valencia to their third spot in the League. There is no doubt that Valencia is the worst hit club during this summer.
The new squads would be put to test very soon. In the meantime, clubs will be working on developing new strategies, while hoping that the money spent on their respective acquisitions would result in silverware.
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