Big Mouvers

The season has only just barely ended and the World Cup has not even started and I am already getting excited for the new season. Outside of Everton and the Premier League, my major passion is Spanish football and we have already seen two absolutely blockbuster moves which will only add to the excitement next season.

The first move was the signing of David Villa by Barcelona. Valencia have been struggling financially for some time now and it was only a matter of time before he joined one of the European giants. I have to admit to being a little surprised by the move from Barca’s perspective, given the formation they play and the presence of Zlatan. I do however think he is the perfect fit for the team and their style of play. His movement and finishing is world class and he can only benefit from playing alongside the likes of Xavi, Messi and Iniesta. There is no better goalscorer or finisher in Spanish football right now, and he is in my top ten strikers in the World.

I finally think Josep Guardiola has got it right. I like him as a coach, but I think he is slightly overrated. He had an amazing team at his disposal when he took the job, and has gotten many of his signings pretty wrong so far. I consider the Zlatan/Etoo deal and the signing of Maxwell as major failures, and while he has done well in coaching and developing some younger players, that has been a question mark for me in his short managerial career so far. Villa however is as much of a cert as any out there, and I think Guardiola has got this one right.

Where it leaves Zlatan though, I have no clue. I would be surprised if they change formation to accommodate him, or play him ahead of Villa. The only option is to offload him in my view.

The other major move was at the Bernabeu. I feel Manuel Pellegrini has been unfairly treated by Real and has done as good as job as feasibly possible given the major overhaul at the start of the season regardless of the quality of players coming in. There are still gaps in the squad – most notably down the left. I do not think anybody could have done more taking all that into account. Being fired this week was harsh to say the least.

That all said, I have to admit that the move makes sense. I am a huge fan of Jose Mourinho and Real simply could not pass up this opportunity to get him. He will keep the media on their toes, and he is big enough - possibly one of only a few coaches in the world – to demand total respect from the likes of Ronaldo and company. Barca have been far and away the better team in Spain for a couple of seasons now, and Mourinho is Real’s best hope of closing that gap.

It will be a truly fascinating season next year in Spain, and I am looking forward to more transfer twists and turns over the summer. I sense this could be the busiest summer for a while across Europe, and these moves have only whetted my appetite for next season.