Karim, The Dream’s Saudi Stint?!

Yep, you read that right.  Current Ballon d’Or holder and Galactico, Karim Benzema, is leaving Madrid a year early to chase the cash in the middle east.  Benzema will reportedly earn roughly £600 million per season for the next three years after signing with Saudi stalwarts Al Ittihad.  That’s an unbelievable sum of money for any sportsman to earn, let alone a 34 year old who’s skills, thank’s to Father Time, will continually diminish.  Thus, the Frenchman, who knew that this was likely his last contract before retirement, took the money and ran.  Conversely, Florentino Perez let his star striker leave without fuss and fee, which was admirable considering that Benzema still had a year left on his contract and Real didn't have a succession plan in place.  With that said, this is Real Madrid we’re talking about, they’ll always attract the top talent.  Therefore, I’d be shocked if Los Blancos doesn’t have the #9 role filled by the start of the season.  Harry Kane and most recently Kylian Mbappe has been names rumored to be top replacements for Karim, The Dream.

Good luck Karim, you’ve given the footballing world a plethora of mesmerizing moments.  Now enjoy basking in the Saudi sun, swimming in cash, and battling against fellow Galactico Cristiano Ronaldo for the King’s Cup.

Liverpool Begins Midfield Makeover

For a large chunk of last season, the Reds were simply awful.  Yes, there were plenty of injuries, thus weakened matchday squads on the regular.  However one thing was for certain, Klopp’s midfield was neither gegenpressing nor standing firm in its own half of the field.  As a result, Liverpool routinely lost control of matches, left its backline vulnerable on countless occasions, and often times created minimal opportunites in the final third.  Therefore, the situation became abundantly clear that a complete overhaul of the midfield had to take shape this offseason.  In turn, Jurgen’s first summer *signing is Argentine international Alexis Mac Allister.  The 24 year old box to box midfielder was one of the key cogs for Brighton & Hove Albion’s quest to secure European football for the first time in its club’ history, as well as Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph on the international level.  The central midfielder is a workhorse in the middle of the park.  Always on the move, creating havoc for the on-ball opposition, and showing a propensity to push the ball forward and slot a shot home with class when needed.  Thus, Alexis is a quintessential ‘Klopite’, and the right choice to begin Anfield’s midfield makeover.

*The signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton to Liverpool was for an initial transfer fee of £35 million plus £20 million in add-ons. Meanwhile, the player signed a five year deal worth an unspecified amount.