Football transfer news

La Liga are contesting FC Barcelona’s claims that both Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia have been successfully registered for the new season, stating that they had not received the requests when the announcement was made.

La Blaugrana had been unable to register new signings Depay, Garcia and Barça B starlet Rey Minaj in their squad due to a salary cap enforced by La Liga.

However, the club confirmed in a statement that they had registered the trio for the upcoming season, after Gerard Pique selflessly accepted a pay cut to accommodate the newcomers.

That version of events has suddenly been contested by La Liga though, with the Spanish football governing body claiming that Barça had not provided the documentation by the time they’d made their public announcement on Saturday morning, according to Mundo Deportivo.

La Liga then released a statement confirming that they have informed Barcelona of the irregularity, and they are reviewing the registration documentation to verify that ‘it complies with the required regulations’.

“In relation to the statement this morning from FC Barcelona on the registration of the players Memphis Depay and Eric García in LaLiga, the association wishes to clarify:

“The documentation on these registrations had not been sent by FC Barcelona at the time of its public communication, but on this afternoon, after LaLiga had notified the club of this fact,” La Liga’s statement read.

“The documentation is being reviewed by the LaLiga Economic Control and Competitions teams to verify that it complies with the required regulations.”

Barça have been fighting against this salary cap all summer, and these restrictions eventually forced club legend Lionel Messi out of the door. It appeared as if they would be unable to register their new signings for the upcoming campaign too, but Pique’s acceptance of a pay cut made it possible once again.

However, the club’s hopes of seeing their new signings line up for the season opener against Real Sociedad on Sunday have taken another major hit.

A lot of criticism was laid at Chelsea’s door after selling Mohamed Salah after playing just 19 games for the club.

It was a fair decision at the time, though – Salah rarely looked useful in any of those games, bagging only two goals in his time at Stamford Bridge. They couldn’t have predicted the player that he would become.

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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 14, 2021

But the one that he has turned into is the best player at title rivals Liverpool. Oops.

This isn’t a new discovery or a piping hot take, obviously. Salah’s 126 goals in 204 Liverpool games are exactly why he’s in the very top bracket of Premier League players. As the Reds stumbled in their failed title defence last season, Salah was the only one who even came close to looking like the best version of himself. Virgil van Dijk’s early season-ending injury changed how Liverpool would tackle the year, while Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane failed to step up and help the Egyptian carry the attack.

Salah began the 2021/22 season with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 win at Norwich City, becoming the first player to score on the opening day of five straight Premier League campaigns. And of course, he once again looking a class above every player on the pitch, strutting around as if he owned the Canaries in the same way Luis Suarez used to.

It was regularly put to Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool last year that they were ‘bad champions’ because of their pathetic attempts to defend their title. You couldn’t fault Salah, and it’s part of the reason why he’s been the focal point of the club’s most successful era in the 21st century.

Van Dijk looked ropey on his return from injury at Carrow Road (which is understandable), while co-star Mane continues to look like a shell of his former self. Firmino, who did actually manage to find the net, was dropped in place of Diogo Jota.

Salah was the only player at Carrow Road who was both productive and looked like a world-beater. While the Reds are still in the market for another attacker, they also have one of the very best in the world to lead them through what could become a transitional period.

Most of Liverpool’s key men are coming towards the end of their primes, but only one of them has shown in 2021 that they are close to their best – the Egyptian king.

Gareth Bale has been handed a new squad number by Real Madrid ahead of the new season.

The Welshman returned to Real after a productive loan season at Spurs, scoring 16 goals in 34 games during the 2020/21 season.

Bale was then cryptic about what the future held for him after Euro 2020, with some reports claiming he could even retire from club football to focus on Wales’ attempts to reach the 2022 World Cup.

But he was selected for Real Madrid’s season opener against Deportivo Alaves in La Liga, and with his iconic number 11 now belonging to Marco Asensio, Bale has been handed the number 18 shirt for the new season.

La Liga regulations state that senior squad members must wear a number from one to 25 – something which has prevented Barcelona from retiring Lionel Messi’s number 10 after leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.

The only other options Bale could have chosen were 13 and 25, and has chosen to begin the new campaign with the number 18 instead.

Bale fell out of favour at Real under Zinedine Zidane, which eventually led to his loan move to Tottenham last season. He remains largely unpopular among Madrid fans (particularly after the ‘Wales, golf, Madrid’ incident), as does club-record signing Eden Hazard, but both will start for Los Blancos in their visit to Alaves.

The club recently said goodbye to stalwarts Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, while David Alaba has been the only player to sign for the club so far this transfer window.

While Madrid continue to pursue Kylian Mbappe, Bale’s presence could help them as they look to wrestle La Liga’s title back from city rivals Atletico. Barcelona, meanwhile, have finally been able to register their new signings ahead of the new season after Gerard Pique agreed to a substantial pay cut.

After nearly two years without a club, Major League Soccer veteran Rodney Wallace signs a ceremonial one-day contract with the Portland Timbers to officially retire with the Western Conference club.

The former Costa Rica international player last competed in the American league in 2019. He first joined in 2009 after a successful collegiate career in Maryland propelled D.C. United to pick up the player as the number 6 overall selection during the MLS SuperDraft.

Wallace went on to play for the Portland Timbers, New York City FC and most recently Sporting Kansas City throughout his MLS career. 

“Thinking back on my career, I realized that retiring as a Timber was the best way for me to respect what the organization has done for me and what I was able to do for the club, the city, and the fans,” Wallace said in Friday’s release. “Winning an MLS Cup is my biggest accomplishment to date, and I’m proud to have been a part of that.”

Wallace formed a crucial role in Portland’s development, standing as an original member of the Timbers 2011 expansion side. He went on to appear 129 times for the Western Conference side, recording 18 goals and 20 assists. In 2015, Wallace inspired his side to the MLS Cup trophy and earned the MLS Comeback Player of the Year award in 2014. 

Join us Sunday as we honor @RodWallace22 and celebrate his playing career and retirement during a special pregame ceremony.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. See you there. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/LxT7Q8WVD9

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) August 13, 2021

“Rodney Wallace gave so much to our club. Having him make the choice to retire a Timber is something that is tremendously meaningful to me personally and is a testament to the quality experience many players have with us,” Portland owner and CEO Merritt Paulson said. “Also doing this before a Seattle game is fitting. Few Timbers ‘gutted the fish’ like Rodney!”

The Timbers are also set to honor the player by recognizing his efforts on the field prior to Sunday’s rivalry matchup against the Seattle Sounders.

Liverpool kicked off the new Premier League season with a convincing 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday evening.

The Canaries started strongly, and Teemu Pukki forced Alisson Becker into a decent save at his front post. But the Reds’ nerves were calmed on 26 minutes, when Diogo Jota’s weak shot dribbled past Tim Krul to give the visitors the lead against the run of play.

We were ??? Kostas when that @DiogoJota18 effort hit the net! ?

[0-1] | #NORLIV pic.twitter.com/pnNQfybnUO

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 14, 2021

Liverpool had the chance to double the advantage straight after half-time, but Sadio Mane’s shot was well blocked by Max Aarons. Norwich dared to believe in a comeback, but their hopes were dashed on 65 minutes when Mohamed Salah squared for substitute Roberto Firmino, and he finished with ease.

Salah got in on the act himself 10 minutes later, picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box and rifling home a ruthless strike to add some gloss to the scoreline. The scoring finished there, meaning Jurgen Klopp’s side travelled home with three goals, three points and a clean sheet.

Let’s check out the player ratings.

Tim Krul (GK) – 4/10 – Somehow allowed Jota’s central shot to sneak through his body and dribble over the line. An awful blow when Norwich were truly on top. Beaten twice more.

Max Aarons (RB) – 6/10 – Impressive in the opening half an hour, always looking forward with the ball and driving. Didn’t give Mane an easy ride. Deserved better.

Grant Hanley (CB) – 6/10 – Used his physical presence to dominate Jota early on, but risked being spun from time to time. Flummoxed by Salah’s touch which sent the ball rolling between the two centre-backs. Tough second half.

Ben Gibson (CB) – 5/10 – Denied a certain goal by clearing from under his own bar. Brave. Wrong-footed by Salah for the opener. Performance went downhill from then on.

Dimitris Giannoulis (LB) – 5/10 – Bombed forward to add an extra body to the attack and to give Alexander-Arnold something else to think about. Couldn’t live with Salah’s movement in the second half.

Lukas Rupp (CM) – 5/10 – Not the most convincing of first halves for Rupp, who wasn’t quite at the races, unlike his teammates in the centre of the pitch. Never picked up.

Billy Gilmour (CM) – 7/10 – A good showing. Did his best to protect the backline, retained possession at every opportunity and offered a class beyond his years.

Pierre Lees-Melou (CM) – 6/10 – Blocked expertly on the line to deny Matip from stroking home into an empty net. Not at the races, though.

Todd Cantwell (RW) – 7/10 – Tenacious, technically gifted and a top talent. Worked hard for his team, held up possession and added a sparkle in the final third. He’s ready for the Premier League.

Teemu Pukki (ST) – 6/10 – Darted in behind the defence to fizz a shot into the front post, but Alisson was up to the task. Felt he was fouled in the buildup to Liverpool’s opening goal – optimistic pleas.

Milot Rashica (LW) – 6/10 – Exploited the space behind Alexander-Arnold to run at Matip. Drifted out of the game following an explosive opening 20 minutes.

Daniel Farke makes his first two substitutions of the evening.

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— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) August 14, 2021

Adam Idah (ST) – 6/10

Josh Sargent (ST) – 6/10

Kieran Dowell (CM) – N/A

Alisson Becker (GK) – 8/10 – Alert to block Pukki’s effort at the front post. Little else to do in the first half as Liverpool recovered from their rocky start. Brilliant double save late on.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB) – 7/10 – Didn’t seem fussed by runners charging in behind him, but escaped unscathed on more than one occasion. Typically dangerous in the Norwich half with the ball.

Joel Matip (CB) – 7/10 – Almost doubled Liverpool’s lead, but saw his effort blocked on the line. Looking like the solid partner Van Dijk dreams of next to him.

Virgil van Dijk (CB) – 7/10 – Allowed Pukki to peel off him and get a shot away on 20 minutes. A let off. Grew into the game as he added minutes to his legs. Good to see him back out there.

Kostas Tsimikas (LB) – 6/10 – Exciting, erratic and extremely shaky. Lost possession with loose passes on a couple of occasions and struggled to beat his man in attack. Fast and unpredictable, though.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (CM) – 6/10 – Fairly quiet and struggled to get into the game. Benefitted from the Reds taking the lead, as Norwich’s confidence shrank. Subbed.

Naby Keita (CM) – 6/10 – A lot of sideways and backwards passes without ever really threatening to penetrate the lines. Completely overrun by the Canaries until Jota’s opener.

James Milner (CM) – 7/10 – Couple of stray passes in the middle, but covered well for the marauding Tsimikas on that left flank. Booked for a heavy challenge on Pukki.

Mohamed Salah (RW) – 9/10 – Tried to control the ball for himself, inadvertently pushing it into the path of Jota. He did the rest. Laid another goal on a plate for Firmino to finish. Hammered home the third. What a performance.

Diogo Jota (ST) – 7/10 – Forced a fine save from Krul with a neat header. On hand to break the deadlock, although his goal was smeared with a stroke of luck.

Sadio Mane (LW) – 6/10 – The quietest of the front three in the first half, but he could never be left unattended. Saw a low shot blocked just in front of the line.

YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! BOBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[0-2] #NORLIV pic.twitter.com/mWoORXU3Jy

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 14, 2021

Roberto Firmino (ST) – 7/10 – Came on and closed out the game with a simple finish when unmarked in the area. Welcome back, Bobby.

Fabinho (CM) – 7/10

Harvey Elliott (CM) – N/A