Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in the Daily Briefing.
Real Sociedad manager on Barcelona shortlist
Barcelona officially began their hunt for a new coach this summer last night after Xavi Hernandez announced his decision to leave. The likes of Thomas Tuchel, Roberto de Zerbi and in particular, Thiago Motta have been linked to the position.
We will have to wait a while to find out who will be the next Barcelona coach. What I do know is that Deco and Laporta already have a list of candidates, and one of the names on it is Imanol Alguacil of Real Sociedad.
That said, there has not been any type of movement or approach towards anyone, not Alguacil, Motta or otherwise. The Bologna manager Thiago Motta is doing very well in Italy, and has many other teams interested in him but it is too early to predict what will happen with him in the summer.
Nacho Fernandez and his Real Madrid future
Real Madrid veteran Nacho Fernandez is set to play a key role for Los Blancos for the rest of the season, as one of two central defenders fit alongside Antonio Rudiger. However they’ve been porous this season, and at 34, will have to take a decision on his future again at the end of the year, when his contract expires.
When it comes to Nacho, there’s no definitive news on what he will be doing next summer. Last year he was shortlisted by a number of teams, who would have been delighted to sign him on a free. One of those sides were Inter Milan, but so far there hasn’t been anything else said about it.
It’s true there hasn’t been as much noise about a potential departure when his contract is up, but that was the case last season because he wasn’t getting the minutes he thought he deserved. I think that around April or May we will know better what Real Madrid and Nacho want to do. Whether to stay together or separate their paths.
Why Ivan Rakitic is leaving Sevilla so suddenly
Croatia legend and Sevilla icon Ivan Rakitic is set to leave the club after nearly 13 years in Spanish football, which have seen him win every club honour available to him. At 35 years of age he is headed to Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia.
Ivan Rakitic is a leader and has been a key part of this Sevilla side almost since he returned, but has fallen out of the team under Quique Sanchez Flores. Al Shabab and Rakitic have been negotiating for at least three weeks, and it has not been an easy negotiation, but as time has passed, the player has been convinced to leave following his loss of importance.
However he will not be earning one of the mind-blowing salaries that some of his colleagues are in Saudi Arabia. Al-Shabab will not pay anything because Rakitic will leave Sevilla for free, terminating his contract. The salary is not €10-15-20m as others have reported. It’s much lower. Rakitic has lost prominence within Sevilla’s dynamics, so the club and the player have considered it appropriate to separate their paths.
