This summer's transfer window once more highlighted the widening financial gap between La Liga and the Premier League. English clubs splashed out more than 3bn, with Liverpool's 125m signing of Alexander Isak the headline move. Spanish sides, by comparison, spent only 592m, well behind not just England but also Italy (1bn) and Germany (739m). The numbers reflect how much financial clout La Liga has lost in recent years.
Jadon Sancho is close to a deadline-day move away from Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images) The Premier League's summer transfer window closes on Monday with clubs still scrambling to get last-minute deals across the line. Alexander Isak, Jadon Sancho, Emi Martinez and Marc Guehi are just some of the names linked with last-minute moves away from their current clubs, with time running out. But what happens if their transfers fail to materialise before the 7pm deadline, and where else could they go?
Starting with the hosts, while Valencia might have gained a string of immediate plaudits following Carlos Corberan's arrival at the Mestalla back in December, the Bats have largely struggled to find any real fluidity since opening up the new campaign. Putting in a toothless performance last weekend as they eventually fell to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Osasuna, the former West Brom boss has seen his squad muster just a sole point from either of their first two La Liga showdowns.
Celta will head into the La Liga game against Real Betis on the back of a 1-1 draw with Real Mallorca away from home in the league. It came after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Getafe in front of their fans in La Liga, which followed a 1-0 victory over Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly match.
Levante are newly promoted to La Liga, and so are very much the underdogs against the defending champions and current league leaders. Barcelona's 3-0 win over Mallorca last weekend put them top after one round of fixtures, and they'll be looking to inflict similar damage here. With 92 goals from these sides' past 23 meetings an average of 3.8 goals per match we might be in for some more drama,
After Kylian came in, they weren't as good last year as they were the year before; Kylian's superpower took away from Vini's superpower.