If you’re anything like me, you probably spent the day in a puddle of emotions looking at Raul pictures. We’ll have a big ol’ Raul round up and recap, but it’s too overwhelming right now. ::sniffle:: (So many beautiful pictures! Guti shaved his head! Pipa tweeted. ARRRRRRRGH!)
So let’s look at training instead. The RM photogs were obvs crushing on Marcelo today. They posted two beautiful shots.
Guapo! Iker, DLo, Adán, Tomás Mejías, Jesús, Fabio, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Casemiro, Kaká, Illarra and Cristiano trained on and off the pitch. Everyone else stayed inside. Our next match is Monday at Granada.
Oh and someone is stepping up his bromancing. Watch your back, Cris! Casanova is trying to steal your man – check out that look Kaka is giving him.
Casakaka? Kakamiro? Either way that’s some Criska competition right there.
Looks like we might get the official confirmation of the Bale signing VERY soon and a presentation as early as tomorrow. Photos are being circulated of a stage that is being put up at the Bernabeu.
So I wonder who is going to get custody of the heart goal celebration that both Norma and Gareth do?
Gareth famously applied for a trademark on it. Bad enough if Angel stays he’s going to have to compete for pitch time, but also his goal celebration? Angel was at RM first. I think he should get custody of it. Or heck, they can both use it (providing Gareth doesn’t sue Fideo for trademark infringement – that’s one way to get rid of your competition, innit?) I’m just glad this whole circus with Bale’s transfer may be coming to an end. Next up, quash the frigging Suarez to RM rumors that have popped up again. I swear, if I see Jaws wearing our escudo, my head will explode.
– Lozil
Of Headbands and Heartbreak
watishistacorrespondents
Of Headbands and Heartbreak... 
As much as I don’t think that Bale is worth it, once he’s here, he will be welcome. Suarez – just hell no to that hot mess. I loath the very idea of him coming to my club.
Jaws! Bwahahahahahahhahahahahahha!
I think Kakamiro wins!
Still on my Raul high!
i have accepted that bale is happening but it’s so counter to the other signings they made this summer. if anyone knows how to work an overpriced signing into a group, it’s carlito. i trust him.
That´s what makes me sad in a way. I loved our transfer policy this summer as I´ve mentioned a dozen times before lol.
It seemed like we tried to build a core with homegrown and other young promising spanish players who would really identify with the club and stepped away from the Galactico approach (not that those weren´t the glory days). Gareth bale is a fantastic player no doubt about that but the money is just ridicous and I fear it might ruin the chances of Morata and especially Jesé to ever get in the starting eleven.
If we really buy Suarez I will flip. It would mean we could put our two canteranos on the selling list plus I don´t want him anywhere near this team.
That’s my biggest problem with it – morata and jese getting the shaft for a big name that no one really wanted in the first place, and we certainly didn’t need. Life will go on, but I feel for our canterano bebes who bleed white for this club. If morata needs comforting, he knows where to find me.
Morata, Jese, and Isco were in the team that won the U23 cup. With them, we don’t need overpriced Bale, who has not won a thing.
If Flo bought Falcao instead, he would cost less and would not have to acclimate to Madrid anymore.
Unwise decision, considering the other prospects — NOT SUAREZ!
Just now I read that we loanded Jesé to Malaga. Great. I don´t know if it´s true but I wouldn´t be surprised. At least we didn´t sell…
I’ve heard the same. It’s heartbreaking. Like you said above, the transfer policy until now has been fantastic, with getting in Spanish players and promoting our young’uns. It’s looked like such a promising team. Not that Bale isn’t talented but he’s going to displace players who have so much potential to be great, who love our club and deserve to get a chance. IMHO the risk of putting in Bale (and now maybe Suarez!?!?!?) who we don’t know how he’ll fit in with the team is about the same as relying more on relatively untested players like Morata or Jese. I agree we need another reliable goal scorer but the price (monetarily and in loss of young talent) for guys like Bale and Suarez is not one I want to pay.
Exactly my feelings! You just expressed it better :). I´d prefer it to let the young ones develop even if it would mean that we won´t win the big trophies in the next 2 years but that just isn´t Real madrids way.
When could Jesé come back anyway? When Cris decides to leave or when he retires? He probably won´t wait that long. It is upsetting.
I’d like to see Cris and Jese together, trying Jese on the right. And then he’d be available to play on the left on the rare occasions when Cris is subbed off or can’t play. Or hell, try him up front from time to time. We’re down a striker, and he’s a great goal scorer, just see what happens! It’s better than giving up on that kind of talent.
I´m totally with you. I was hoping for that as well but Bale will presumably play on the right from now on. Jesé will be behind him and Di Maria in the pecking order. I´m just bummed out. I was so happy when he got into the first team…
Nacho’s brother Alex (the redhead) went on free transfer to Espanyol.
Yep. I will miss him. Nice kid and talented.
I don’t want Bale. Now they’re rumors flying left right and center that Ozil, Benzema & Morata might be leaving. Fu&K you Perez. I’m so dam angry..
Don’t panic yet. Remember it’s silly season. Don’t believe anything until the ink is dry.
I think the Özil to ManU rumour is bullshit – just as much as the Fabregas wants to leave for ManU one.
If we sell Benzema and Morata we wouldn´t have any strikers left unless of course Suarez saves us *irony off*.
I feel you though I´m not too happy either.
Man U would have to unload Rooney first, in order to take Ozil. But no one’s biting — well, except Suarez — and I hope we don’t take that problem child.
don’t know if it is really true but bale’s jersey was already available at RM’s website the other day here’s the whole story http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/gareth-bale-shirts-sale-official-2207797
We were talking about this on Thursday in the So Much Raul Love post. It was on the website, but they removed it after the story broke.
my bad..i never bother to read the comments on that post..well just want to let you know that i decided to read starting from the very first post you wrote and oh boy….
It wasn’t in the comments – it was in the actual post – you had to click on the links to read the story though. Same thing happened last year with Modric’s transfer.
Well, welcome to Madrid, Bale. Suarez, SHOO. What the hell do we need Suarez for? If we end up with him, I might just lose it. Oh, it’s going to be even worse than when Juve signed Tevez AND and gave him the #10 jersey.
Poor Bale getting a lot of heat for this, when really he’s strikes me as a very sweet and rather shy guy. Who would turn down such a record-breaking bid and invite from Real Madrid? So I’m not gonna lay into him.
Real Madrid, on the other hand … Man, Perez, if I could bitchslap you through my screen I would. Hard. Several times, you old codger. The hell you thinking?? He is NOT worth that much, and it’s not like Real’s desperate for ANOTHER midfielder. Yes, yes, I will admit I am feeling particularly prickly about this because of the situation it puts Mesut in. It’s obvious last year that Modric’s arrival affected his performance for Real (he was his usual reliable brilliance for the German national team all season, where his starting place is secured and he has Löw and the team’s full confidence), and now he’s got two more “competitors” in Bale and Isco. World Cup is next year so Mesut will want to have as much playing time as possible, so even if Real don’t want to sell him will he be happy being benched more often? Am not giving the ManU rumors much credit (yet), but until I can get idea on how Ancelotti plans to juggle all these midfielders I’m feeling very uneasy about this upcoming season. Pray that I’m just being paranoid.
Oh, and Marcelo looks positively RADIANT in those pics! While Kaka is looking tempted …
Yeah, I’ve got no problem with Bale. If someone wanted to pay me bank, I’d jump too. 😉
Bale is English and they are not very good with the whole bromance thing. But if Becks turned, Bale shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Bale is actually Welsh. Not sure how kindly he’d take to being called English. 😉