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La Liga & Serie A roundup: Who’s joining champs Barca, Juve in Champions League?

By Andy EdwardsMay 15, 2016, 3:42 PM EDT
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A roundup of the weekend’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…

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Granada 0-3 Barcelona

The math was simple for Barcelona: win, and they’re champions. Playing away to Granada on the final day of the La Liga season, Luis Enrique’s side did just that, with many thanks to another Luis — Suarez — who bagged yet another hat trick (below videos) — his third in five games — giving the Uruguayan 40 goals in 35 league games this season (to go with 16 assists).

After a three-game slip-up in April, Barca finished the season with five straight wins by a combined score of 24-0. Thanks for making it interesting, Barca.

Deportivo La Coruña 0-2 Real Madrid

Because Barca won, Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory away to Deportivo La Coruña was consequential only in clinching a second-place finish ahead of their capital rivals, Atletico Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the game’s only goals (below videos), giving him 35 on the season (to go with four assists), meaning Suarez is the winner of this season’s Golden Boot. There’s still a matter of an UEFA Champions League final between the Madrid sides, though. Since both sides failed in their bid to win the league title, that’s how this season’s final bragging rights will be won or lost.

Champions League group stage qualifiers | Qualification playoff

Team GP W D L GF GA GD Home Away PTS
Barcelona 38 29 4 5 112 29 83 16-1-2 13-3-3 91
Real Madrid 38 28 6 4 110 34 76 16-1-2 12-5-2 90
Atletico Madrid 38 28 4 6 63 18 45 15-3-1 13-1-5 88
Villarreal 38 18 10 10 44 35 9 12-4-3 6-6-7 64
Athletic 38 18 8 12 58 45 13 11-4-4 7-4-8 62
Celta Vigo 38 17 9 12 51 59 -8 9-6-4 8-3-8 60
Sevilla 38 14 10 14 51 50 1 14-1-4 0-9-10 52

Elsewhere in La Liga

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo
Sporting Gijon 2-0 Villarreal
Athletic Bilbao 3-1 Sevilla
Malaga 4-1 Las Palmas
Valencia 0-1 Real Sociedad
Espanyol 4-2 Eibar
Rayo Vallecano 3-1 Levante
Real Betis 2-1 Getafe

Juventus 5-0 Sampdoria

Crowned champions weeks ago, Juventus truly had nothing to play for in Saturday’s finale, but that didn’t stop Massimiliano Allegri’s side from putting five past Sampdoria anyway. Paulo Dybala fell 17 goals short of Gonzalo Higuain in the race for the Golden Boot, but the 22-year-old scored twice on Saturday to finish second (19 goals) behind his prolific countryman.

Patrice Evra, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci provided the other goals, as Juve clinched a nine-point triumph to win their fifth straight Serie A title.

Napoli 4-0 Frosinone

There was plenty to play for on the final day, as Napoli and Roma entered the day separated by just two points in second and third, respectively. A minute before halftime, everything was up for grabs with Napoli sitting 0-0 at home against 19th-place and already-relegated Frosinone.

Marek Hamsik put the home side ahead in the 44th minute and was quickly followed by a second-half hat trick from Higuain (52nd, 62nd and 71st minutes) to put the game safely away and clinch automatic qualification into next season’s Champions League group stage.

AC Milan 1-3 Roma

Mohamed Salah, Stephan El Shaarawy and Emerson bagged the goals as Roma did all they could do, hammering AC Milan at the San Siro Stadium. Carlos Bacca scored Milan’s only goal, giving him 18 on the season, good for a third-place finish behind Higuain and Dybala. Milan finished the season in seventh and will miss out on European qualification for a third straight season.

Champions League group stage qualifiers | Qualification playoff

Team GP W D L GF GA GD Home Away PTS
Juventus 38 29 4 5 75 20 55 16-2-1 13-2-4 91
Napoli 38 25 7 6 80 32 48 16-3-0 9-4-6 82
Roma 38 23 11 4 83 41 42 13-5-1 10-6-3 80
Inter Milan 38 20 7 11 50 38 12 13-2-4 7-5-7 67
Fiorentina 38 18 10 10 60 42 18 11-5-3 7-5-7 64
Sassuolo 38 16 13 9 49 40 9 8-8-3 8-5-6 61
AC Milan 38 15 12 11 49 43 6 9-6-4 6-6-7 57
Lazio 38 15 9 14 52 52 0 10-3-6 5-6-8 54

Elsewhere in Serie A

Sassuolo 3-1 Inter Milan
Lazio 2-4 Fiorentina (ongoing)
Empoli 2-1 Torino
Chievo 0-0 Bologna
Genoa 1-2 Atalanta
Palermo 3-2 Hellas Verona (ongoing)
Udinese 1-2 Carpi (ongoing)

Transfer news: Man United move for Cavani, Jovic; Sancho update

Jadon Sancho to Man United
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By Joe Prince-WrightSep 29, 2020, 11:57 AM EDT
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Cavani to Manchester United? Jovic to Manchester United? Sancho to Manchester United?

Everyone to Manchester United!

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The latest transfer news surrounds Manchester United and with just a few days to go in the summer window it seems like Ed Woodward and Co. are perhaps panicking a little.

A report from Gianluca Di Marzio in Italy states that Man United have offered a deal to experienced striker Edinson Cavani, who is currently a free agent after leaving PSG.

The same outlet also states that Man United have made an offer to take Luka Jovic on loan from Real Madrid as they know that Odion Igahlo will be going back to his parent club Shanghai Shenhua in January when his loan is up.

Add to those two rumors that Manchester United want to sign Ismaila Sarr from Watford as a back up to Jadon Sancho, plus reports that the Red Devils want to make one final push for Sancho before the window shuts next week, and we have an absolute mess.

Cavani and Jovic make sense for short-term solutions, but Man United don’t need to add more attacking players. They need a new left back and center back to make their squad stronger, and probably a new holding midfielder too.

With Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial up top, they are set for attackers but Solskjaer doesn’t think so. Cavani to Manchester United would be a good back-up option and at 33 he could pass on plenty of tips to Rashford, Martial and Greenwood.

Jadon Sancho to Manchester United update

When it comes to Sancho, an update of sorts has arrived.

Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus has poured cold water on reports that Sancho could be heading to Man United in the final days of this transfer window.

“For us players that was great news. We all were happy that he will be with us for one more year because he delivers assists and goals, so we get points,” Reus said. “If he gets as big as (Lionel) Messi or Ronaldo, we will see. He needs time, experience and it will be important how he manages the times when things don’t go so well. But he has the confidence and the quality.”

So, that’s that then? Sancho hasn’t travelled with Dortmund for the Super Cup in Munich against Bayern Munich due to a respiratory problem but he has tested negative for COVID-19.

Dortmund set a deadline of August 10 for Man United to put their money where their mouth was and pay for Sancho. But United don’t want to pay $140 million for Sancho and it appears he will now be at Dortmund for at least another 12 months.

Should Man United just wait until then? Can they manage with their current attacking crop? Yes and yes. But they probably won’t.

Fulham boss Parker upset after owner Khan apologized

Fulham
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By Joe Prince-WrightSep 29, 2020, 11:04 AM EDT
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Fulham did not play well in their 3-0 defeat at home against Aston Villa and they’ve now lost all three of their Premier League games since being promoted.

[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]   

Add to that the fact they’ve conceded 10 goals and Scott Parker has a big job on his hands to keep Fulham in the Premier League.

It’s safe to say the Fulham manager also didn’t appreciate the son of owner Shahid Khan apologizing to fans for the performance on social media, as he also repeated that he’s been pushing to sign new defenders for several weeks.

Tony Khan — who is the co-owner, vice chairman and director of football operations at Fulham — detailed their search for a new center back, responded to fans comments on Twitter and said the display against Villa wasn’t good enough.

“I apologize to Fulham FC supporters for our performance tonight. We’ve looked to add centre-backs since Wembley, I’m sorry we haven’t yet as two got COVID and we lost a free we thought was close and had another issue with a fourth CB. I promise players in and better efforts from this squad,” Khan said in a Tweet after full time. “I should and will apologize repeatedly for that performance. I’m sorry everybody. We all need to do a better job. Everyone at the club for the past year worked really hard to get the team up and now we need to work significantly harder to stay up. I promise better efforts than today.”

Safe to say that Parker didn’t appreciate that statement as he spoke to the media ahead of Fulham’s League Cup last 16 game against Brentford.

“I think obviously I said it last night. People have the platform. You own a football club, you can decide how you want to communicate or send a message out. It’s not something I agree with, it’s not helpful from that sense but like I said that’s down to the owner and how he sees it,” Parker said. “There’s one thing that I’m disappointed with and that’s how he’s actually apologizing for the performance and that is something that I don’t agree with and he shouldn’t have. The performance last night was a good performance which was a group of players who have done everything they can, worked tirelessly from the first minute to the 95th. From 3-0 down they were still trying work as much as they can to try and get us back in the game and for that I don’t agree with him.”

This is a double-edged sword.

Many fans will appreciated Khan for responding to complaints publicly and being open and transparent. On the other hand, players and coaching staff at Fulham will probably be slightly bemused that this level of information was shared in a public forum.

Khan, who oversees the day-to-day running of Fulham, has taken a very different approach to transfers than when Fulham were promoted two seasons ago and spent big and were instantly relegated from the Premier League during the 2018-19 season.

It will be intriguing to see if Fulham splash the cash in a big way to back Parker in the final days of the window because their defensive performances suggest they will be relegated straight back to the Championship. It is early days in the Premier League season but Fulham are already having a bit of a meltdown.

Transfer news: Sarr to Manchester United

Ismaila Sarr to Manchester United
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By Joe Prince-WrightSep 29, 2020, 8:55 AM EDT
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Ismaila Sarr to Manchester United is the latest back-up option for Jadon Sancho.

[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]  

According to the Daily Mail, Ismaila Sarr to Manchester United is emerging as their best possible option this summer as negotiations with Borussia Dortmund aren’t going well.

Sarr would be a good alternative, but he is valued at over $57 million by Watford. Surely spending that kind of cash just for the sake of it rather than waiting an extra 6-12 months for Sancho is a mistake?

The Watford and Senegal winger, 22, was one of the only positives to come from the Hornets’ relegation from the Premier League last season and was chased by Liverpool earlier this summer before they signed Diogo Jota instead.

After a slow start to life in England after his arrival from Ligue 1 side Rennes, Sarr scored twice in Watford’s shock 3-0 win over Liverpool and added another in a shock win against Man United, as he netted six goals and grabbed four assists in total.

Not bad for his first season in the Premier League, but is he any better than Daniel James, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata as back-up options? Probably, but spending over $50 million to sign him seems more out of desperation than planning.

That’s no disrespect to Sarr, but it shows that Manchester United are perhaps getting a little nervy and anxious in the final days of the window. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has signed Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek this summer but United have missed out on Sergio Reguillon and Gareth Bale (who both went to Tottenham) and Thiago Alcantara who chose Liverpool instead.

Sancho is understandably their top target and Dortmund know that. They also know that selling Sancho this summer makes little sense as his transfer value is at its lowest and will rise to close to the $150 million they want for him when the market (hopefully) gets back to normal as the COVID-19 pandemic develops.

Sarr is a very good winger and in a team like Manchester United which will provide him with plenty of the ball out wide and on counter attacks he will slot in very nicely. But is he going to start ahead of Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford? No. He is a player who can be added to the rotation and add strength to the squad but what happens next summer if Man United do land Sancho?

There needs to be a better long-term transfer plan at Manchester United rather than just buying players each and every summer for the sake of it.

Lyon give Arsenal boost amid latest Aouar update

Aouar to Arsenal
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By Joe Prince-WrightSep 29, 2020, 8:01 AM EDT
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Aouar to Arsenal continues to be in the works, as more talks are scheduled in the final days of the transfer window and Lyon have given the Gunners a timely boost.

[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ] 

Lyon president Jean-Michael Aulas confirmed over the weekend that Arsenal have made an opening bid for Houssem Aouar, 22, but that he rejected it, and he’s now suggested the offer was well b

Asked about Arsenal’s pursuit of Aouar, the outspoken Lyon president had the following to say about the bid which is believed to be around $44.6 million.

“There was a timid offer, it was not an offer that was even susceptible to making us consider a sale,” Aulas said.

Asked how much he would want for Aouar, $46 million or $58 million, Aulas replied: “More than the first number that you mentioned.”

So, it appears they aren’t too far apart on their valuation and Lyon appear to be lining up Aouar’s replacement as Sky in Italy believe that they’ve agreed to sign Lucas Paqueta from AC Milan.

The dominoes are falling into place ahead of the final few days of the summer transfer window.

Aouar was superb in Lyon’s unexpected run to the UEFA Champions League semifinal in 2019-20 and his creativity will certainly add an extra dimension to Arsenal’s midfield. Mikel Arteta’s side battled hard in their 3-1 loss at Liverpool on Monday but couldn’t connect passes in midfield and Aouar is a master at that.

Alongside one of Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos he would be brilliant in Arsenal’s 3-4-3 formation.  The French international midfield is a perfect player for Mikel Arteta’s system. He is silky on the ball and calm to help dictate possession, while he also isn’t afraid of his defensive duties.

This move for Aouar suggests that Lucas Torreira, Mateo Guendouzi and Mohamed Elneny are all set to move on as Arteta focuses on quality over quantity and is said to still want Ateltico Madrid’s holding midfielder Thomas Partey too, although that seems like a long shot now.

Aouar to Arsenal would be another statement of intent from the Gunners who have added Gabriel at center back plus Willian out wide and Arteta has developed a host of young players over the last 10 months. Slowly but surely the pieces are falling into place as Arteta tries to push Arsenal back into the top four.