September 13, 2022

The brief from today:

Raul de Tomas makes unorthodox transfer

Spanish striker, Raul de Tomas, or R.D.T., as he prefers to put on his jersey, has secured a transfer from Espanyol to fellow La Liga side, Rayo Vallecano. The atypical thing with this move, besides being outside the regular transfer windows, is that the 27-year-old wasn’t a free agent. The fact that he was still registered on Espanyol’s books means that despite the deal being finalized, he won’t be able to officially play for Rayo Vallecano until the January transfer window opens. It also means that he won’t be playing for Espanyol given he has negotiated an exit from the club mid-season. The relationship between de Tomas, who scored 17 goals last season, and Espanyol coach, Diego Martinez, soured over the summer and his non existent playing time this campaign confirmed as much. As things increasingly became tense a few months ago between the player and manager, a move to Rayo was being arranged, but the deal couldn’t be finalized before the transfer window closed. That didn’t deter de Tomas and his agent, Ivan Garcia, however, as they continued to negotiate with both clubs even after the September 1 deadline. Those talks apparently took a violent turn last week, when Garcia allegedly head butted Rayo’s president, Raul Martin Presa, who called the police regarding the matter, and also required medical treatment. Normally such an incident would surely quash any chance of a deal, especially after Rayo released a statement to the media confirming the clash, but astonishingly an €11 million fee, including add-ons, was still agreed to bring in de Tomas on a five-year deal. As if the post deadline, violent induced, transfer wasn’t strange enough, the fact that de Tomas would pursue a move which renders him ineligible for Rayo until January, and also compromises his chances of making the Spain World Cup squad in November, is bizarre. He recently received his first call up for the national team at the end of last year, and has consistently been included in the squads since, but maintaining that streak following this deal is now is all but impossible.

R.D.T. and his agent force through a move, in more ways than one, from Espanyol to Rayo Vallecano

Griezmann may finally play more than 30 minutes

This La Liga season has already had its share of storylines, but one of the more strange situations is the Antoine Griezmann loan deal from Barcelona to Atlético Madrid. The Frenchman, still currently owned by Barcelona, moved back to former club Atletico last summer on a two-year loan deal. The agreement includes a €40 million purchase obligation clause that will be triggered if Griezmann plays more than 50 percent of the minutes he is eligible for this season. Atletico, for their part, now have no intention of paying the hefty fee, and as a result the club higher ups have given the directive to coach, Diego Simeone, that the attacker’s minutes be restricted. What has since transpired is Griezmann making substitute appearances that are never more than 30 minutes. This exploiting of a loophole in the contract by Atletico has greatly frustrated Barcelona, who assumed the permanent transfer was a mere formality. Of course, with all their financial struggles being made public this summer, Barca are a bit low on leverage, and Atleti know this. As a result both sides are exploring talks regarding the obligation fee, with a rumored €25 million seeming to be the number Atletico are willing to part with. Barca, meanwhile, are considering the diminished figure mainly because it would allow them to get Griezmann’s massive €20 million per year salary off their books, as well as the enormous annual amortization from the original €120 million transfer fee they paid Atletico in 2019. If the two clubs can reach an agreement, however, then they both stand to gain financially. Griezmann, on the other hand, would receive less compensation by staying at Atletico due to the the €11 million pay cut he agreed to, but the move will allow him to continue in an environment he prefers. In addition to that, a compromise on the transfer fee will also permit the 31-year-old to play more than 30 minutes per game, which would help him gain some much needed match fitness with the World Cup only two months away.

Griezmann (left) has spent a lot of time on the bench this season due to his minutes being restricted