LaLiga: Coutinho to Barcelona, Asensio or Bale at Real Madrid and where will Valencia finish?

All eyes will be on the start of the Premier League this weekend but over in Spain there’s the same matter of the Spanish Super Cup. Real Madrid, fresh after putting Manchester United to the sword, will face off against old foes Barcelona.

I reached out to fans on Twitter – follow me at @GaffneyVLC – for your questions as the domestic football season approaches ever closer.

It’s such a hard story to get a genuine, honest answer to. There are clearly conflicting stories from Spain, Brazil and in England. Liverpool fans believe those with close connections to the club, including high profile personalities like Jamie Carragher, who state Philippe Coutinho isn’t for sale and will remain at Liverpool this summer.

Over in Spain, specifically in Catalunya, it’s a different story. From the beginning of the saga it’s been spoken about as a certainty. Coutinho has let Barcelona know he wants to move there and terms on five-year deal are ready to be signed off. An initial €70m bid was rejected but Barcelona are optimistic a fresh €100m will get Liverpool to accept.

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It isn’t all as clear-cut though. Reports at the weekend said Coutinho was the main objective this week but officials flew to Dortmund instead. Ousmane Dembele is another option for Barcelona but does this mean they’ve switched targets? Or do they feel so confident with Coutinho they’re prioritising other reinforcements?

This morning a new report claims Coutinho could be a Barcelona player by Friday. So the honest answer to the question is the deal is still being negotiated and Barcelona aren’t ready to give up on him yet.

For me, it’s still Gareth Bale. There’s a lot of revisionism that takes place when it comes to Bale and people ignore the fact he’s one of the best wide players in the world. Fitness issues are a concern, granted, but there’s very few guys who deserve to start ahead of him.

Marco Asensio is a fine, fine player. No doubt in the years to come people will mention him alongside Isco in terms of what he can bring to this Madrid side. Patience is a must though. Asensio’s still a little raw and Zidane’s management of him so far has been exemplary.

Bale and Asensio also play on opposite sides of the pitch. Isco will challenge Bale on the right whereas Asensio will get regular minutes as an option off the bench on the left.

Improvement. I’m not one of those who subscribes to the idea Peter Lim bought Valencia to milk it for his own gain at the expense of its fans and history. Like a lot of people who are new to managing sports teams, and in particular football clubs, Lim’s biggest error was trusting those around him to do the bulk of the work. Non-football people, or agents, who didn’t share the same vision as the owner.

Marcelino is the first genuine coach to be handed a chance under Lim’s tenure. Nuno Espiritu Santos, Gary Neville, Pako Ayestaran and Cesare Prandelli were all shots in the dark. With Voro content to play a more behind the scenes role, the club lacked structure and a plan going forward. Marcelino provides that and we should see Valencia gain some traction this season.

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As for the Top Four itself, that’s a tough ask from a standing start. Fans should dream of reaching those heights but at the same time not expect them straight away. The club is still sorting out past discrepancies and it means they have very little money to work with. There’s a rebuilding process going on and a top half finish, maybe even in the European spots, is a more realistic aim for this year.

The Neymar deal caught everyone by surprise. Barcelona obviously felt the €222m buyout clause for Neymar was beyond the means of all clubs but they were wrong. And to think, prior to July 1st, it was only €200m! It does feel weird saying ‘only’ before that figure but it just goes to show how crazy the market is right now.

The biggest teams in Spain have used buyout clauses – different from release clauses – to put an inflated value on their better players. Real Madrid, for example, have Bale, Cristiano and Benzema at around €1000m. No one, not even PSG, could afford them but they exist simply because the law forces them too.

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Barcelona’s concept of buyout clauses is different to Madrid’s. They put faith in the player’s loyalty to the club. Neymar’s departure might force them to re-evaluate that system in the future, starting with whoever replaces him. However I can’t see them renegotiating terms with everyone else at the club.

Every other side, including Atletico Madrid, might look to increase a few of their key players’ buyout clauses. A lot of players prefer to keep them high, yet accessible, so they are free to leave should a bigger team declare an interest. Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak’s €100m might start to look cheap come next summer.

I think the loss of Monchi is more significant than that of Jorge Sampaoli but Sevilla have a knack of proving people wrong.

Sampaoli’s first six months in charge at Sevilla thrust him into the spotlight and he was immediately linked with moves to bigger clubs in the summer. The forward-thinking coach, of the Marcelo Bielsa mould, seemingly had the footballing world at his feet. But, like a cheap firework, the hype fizzled out as the campaign reached its conclusion.

Eduardo Berizzo is the perfect replacement and deserves an opportunity on a bigger stage. Sevilla are still desperate to add to their forward line and talks are ongoing for Carlos Bacca and Stevan Jovetic. They also need a left back as they’ve only got Sergio Escudero at the moment. Expect a club to come in for Steven N’Zonzi before the transfer window closes as well. They’ll be in the fight for that fourth spot though.

When Real Madrid signed Dani Ceballos it felt a little like it was to stop him going to Barcelona than Madrid needing another body in midfield. No one can doubt the quality Ceballos possesses but where does he fit in?

Marcos Llorente, Mateo Kovacic and Isco – if all the BBC play – will be fighting for spots in midfield. Ceballos, while talented, is arguably behind all three of those in the pecking order. Llorente is a natural replacement for Casemiro whereas Isco and Kovacic proved their worth last season.

Reports in Italy suggest Madrid are trying to loan Kovacic out to Juventus but that seems more guess work than truth. If he were somebody Madrid were looking to move on he wouldn’t have been on the bench last night. Llorente and Ceballos didn’t even manage that.

It’s a situation to keep an eye on over the next six months. Zidane kept everyone happy last year but the midfield does look a little heavy. It wouldn’t come as a huge shock if one of Kovacic or Ceballos looked for a move in January should they not be getting regular minutes.