Football Espana

Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will be heading to San Sebastian next month, as Real Sociedad made it through to the last 16 of the Europa League. Imanol Alguacil’s side defeated FC Midtjylland 5-2 in the second leg of their play-off round tie on Thursday, which ensured a 7-3 aggregate victory.

It was a bizarre match at times, as La Real raced into a two-goal lead before being pegged back to 2-2 in the first half – from then, they would go on to score three unanswered goals to guarantee their progression. Brais Mendez scored the opener at the Reale Arena, and as per MD, he reflected on the 90 minutes.

“The objective is accomplished. We knew it was going to be difficult, but it was soon in our faces. The last minutes of the first half we relaxed, it can’t happen again, but we reacted. I don’t know if it was overconfidence, relaxation… They have gone up front with many players, we wanted to come out playing and we had losses. Like the second goal, which is my fault.”

As mentioned, La Real will be paired up with one of Man United or Spurs during Friday’s draw. They will start as underdogs to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but Brais and his teammates will not fear whoever stands in their way.

“We don’t care (who we play). They are two rivals that just with the name they have… they are incredible. If we have to go far, we have to beat the best. I’m not afraid of any of them.”

La Real have had a disappointing season up until now, amplified by the fact that they are only 11th in the La Liga standings. That tie against Man United or Spurs could provide the catalyst for a strong end to the season if they can come through it with a victory across two legs.

Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Betis negotiate a deal that saw Giovani Lo Celso return to the Benito Villamarin, five years after leaving. 12 months on, the expectation is that the two clubs will once again be involved in an operation, but this time, the player in question would be moving in the opposite direction.

As part of the Lo Celso deal, Betis and Spurs negotiated a “special clause” that the Premier League side would retain for Johnny Cardoso. As part of this, a deal can be sealed for €25m, which would be a bargain price for the American midfielder given the impact that he has made in La Liga since his arrival last January.

Since this revelation, there has been increased interest in Cardoso, notably from the Premier League. Wolves tried to sign him during the recent winter transfer window, but Betis turned that offer down, and as such, he will be remaining in Andalusia until the end of the season.

However, it is likely that Cardoso is in his final few months as a Betis player, as according to ED, the intention of Spurs is to activate the special clause that they have for the 23-year-old pivot.

As per the report, the clause becomes active on the 30th of June, and it will only be live until the 10th of July – after this, it disappears forever, although Spurs do not appear to be thinking about this.

If Cardoso does join Spurs in the summer, Betis would net a handy profit. They signed him from Internacional last winter for a fee of €6m, and although a further €3.8m would go to the Brazilian side as part of retaining 20% of any capital gain made by Los Verdiblancos, it would still see them walk away with €15m, and this can go towards securing the services of a suitable replacement.

Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur secured a special clause as part of an agreement with Real Betis that saw Giovani Lo Celso return to Los Verdiblancos. That clause was for Johnny Cardoso, who has been a standout performer for the La Liga side since he arrived from Internacional during the 2024 winter transfer window.

Cardoso has been a very important player for Betis since his arrival, so the clause agreed with Spurs, which is worth €25m, would have been inserted begrudgingly. A number of other clubs have taken an interest in the USMNT midfielder since then, but for now, a move to North London is the most likely if he does leave Andalusia.

Betis have been making arrangements for Cardoso to stay, and on Tuesday, they announced that he had agreed a new five-year contract at the club, which keeps him tied down until the end of the 2029-30 season.

“Real Betis Balompie and Johnny Cardoso have reached an agreement for the extension of the Brazilian midfielder’s contract for one more season. In this way, the American international is linked to the Green and White Club until 2030.”

However, Cardoso’s new contract does little to affect his possible departure in the summer, as MD have reported that Spurs’ special clause is still active.

It is worth noting that Spurs’ clause is only active for a few weeks during the summer transfer window. If they fail to trigger it before the pre-agreed deadline, Betis can demand as much as they want, which would put them in a much more advantageous position.

It would be a big blow for Betis to lose Cardoso in the summer, especially as they would hope to earn more than €25m in normal circumstances. If he does leave, a new defensive midfielder would be required to go alongside Sergi Altimira, Marc Roca and William Carvalho.

Getafe are expected to have a busy winter transfer window, as they seek to improve Jose Bordalas’ squad after an underwhelming start to the season. However, they could instead part ways with star defender Omar Alderete, who has started to attract serious interest.

Tottenham Hotspur have recently been linked with Alderete, and now his agent Renato Bittar has stated (via Diario AS) that the Paraguayan international will be leaving Getafe at some stage this year.

“There are four clubs in England who want him. It’s time to take the leap. If it’s not now, he’ll leave Getafe in the summer.”

Girona’s summer signings have largely failed to make a significant impact so far this season, with perhaps the best being Bryan Gil, who signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay for head coach Michel Sanchez, and already, the Catalan club are thinking about signing him on a permanent basis.

As per Diario AS, they can do so for €15m, as this is the pre-agreed optional buy clause that was included in last summer’s loan deal. Girona bosses are considering it, having been impressed with Gil’s contributions up until now.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Alejo Veliz spent the vast majority of 2024 in La Liga. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla, and he is currently on loan at Espanyol. However, neither spell has been successful, and the current one looks like it is about to be cut short.

Veliz has only played a handful of matches in the last few months, and this has caused frustration for Spurs. As such, they are already working on terminating their agreement with Espanyol, as reported by Tottenham Hotspur News (via MD).

Tottenham Hotspur scouts are likely to be a semi-regular occurrence at the Benito Villamarin in the coming months, due to the buy option they have on Johnny Cardoso. However their most recent trip to see Real Betis was not solely dedicated to the USMNT international.

Spurs have a €25m buy option on Cardoso, but Relevo explain that their scouting mission to see Betis’ 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano also involved watching Brazilian forward Vitor Roque. The 19-year-old is on loan from Barcelona, but has started to show signs of his talent at Betis, and has 7 goal contributions in 24 appearances this season.

Diego Kochen is making waves with the B team. He's seen as a future star for club and country. @bonagerman

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 24, 2024

Brazilian giants Palmeiras were linked with a €20m move for Roque this week, but Betis are reluctant to let him go. They have a €25m buy option themselves on Roque, and an option to extend his loan deal for a year. Los Verdiblancos need to make €20m in transfers before the end of June in order to balance their accounts though, and for the right money, they could no doubt be tempted.

Getafe have not had too many redeeming features this season, but the one strength has been their defence. Despite sitting 15th with just three wins, Getafe have only conceded 13 goals in 16 games.

At the heart of that defence is Omar Alderete. The Paraguayan defender, who recently played a key role in beating Argentina, has been a bastion at the back for Jose Bordalas. However he might not be around much longer.

Alderete has a €16m release clause according to Diario AS, and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in activating that clause. The 27-year-old is on the shortlist for Spurs, and manager Ange Postecoglou has seemingly requested his signing, having admired his strength and ability on the ball.

Getafe’s hardman has been linked with Atletico Madrid in recent months, and certainly few forwards envy the task of going up against him. This season Alderete has played 15 times for Getafe in La Liga missing just one game.

Barcelona look as if they will not move for Lille forward Jonathan David in the coming weeks, as the Canadian forward makes his mind up on his future. The 24-year-old can sign a precontract with other clubs from the first of January, and has thus far rejected any offers from Les Dogues.

David had voiced his desire to play for Barcelona, being a fan of the club growing up, but the Blaugrana have delayed any decision on a move for him, and by the time they take it, David may already have decided his future. Sport say that David will wait to see if Barcelona make a move for him, but not for long.

Barcelona have not won on German soil since the 1-2 against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2016. @sergisoleMD

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 10, 2024

Amid plenty of interest from the Premier League, Inter, Juventus and Bayern Munich, the Catalan daily say he has a lucrative offer on the table from Tottenham Hotspur already. Both Barcelona Sporting Director Deco and manager Hansi Flick have their doubts about his ability to thrive without space to run into, which is the key reason they have not moved for one of the market opportunities of 2025.

Barcelona do tend to face for the most part packed defences sitting deeper in Spain, even if they have become more direct this season under Flick, hoping to hit many teams on the break. With Robert Lewandowski turning 37 next year, they are on the hunt for an alternative to him through the middle for next summer.

Getafe have one of the most solid defences in La Liga, but are still languishing in 17th place, narrowly out of the relegation zone. Los Azulones have struggled for goals this season, and manager Jose Bordalas has voiced his frustration at the lack of options in his squad on several occasions.

President Angel Torres seems reluctant to spend much in January, and as such they will seek cheaper options. Superdeporte say they are interested in Sergio Reguilon of Tottenham Hotspur. The ex-Sevilla and Real Madrid left-back is yet to play this season, and a loan move could be on the cards in January before his contract expires in the summer.

The same outlet also note that Getafe could move for former striker Enes Unal too. Since his €16.5m move to Bournemouth, Unal has struggled under Andoni Iraola. He has just 10 appearances in the Premier League this season, and only 172 minutes out of them. He could be allowed to leave on loan, and the Turkish forward was lethal for two seasons between 2021 and 2023.

Borja Mayoral’s ongoing injury issues have robbed Bordalas of his primary source of goals, with Bertug Yildirim and Alvaro Rodriguez struggling to make the grade so far. Mayoral is set to return to full fitness soon, but in what state of form it will be difficult to say, given he has been mostly sidelined since March. So far this season, Getafe have scored just 10 goals in 15 La Liga games.