Chelsea had the busier transfer window during the month of January than any other club. Jose Mourinho saw Kurt Zouma, Mohamed Salah and joining the squad but the transfer that made the headlines all over the world was not a signing that Chelsea made but a sale instead.

The Spanish midfielder Juan Mata saw his way out of Chelsea and joined Manchester United with a price tag of €37 million. Even though Mata has enough abilities not only to play on the starting lineup of Mourinho, this is something that the Portuguese coach has implemented on many clubs where he has taken charge.

The French outfit AS Monaco is interested in upgrading their defensive backline with the introduction of Leonardo Bonucci as he has impressed the club with his performances in this season.

As.Monaco maintain the pressure on the current champions PSG by staying in 3rd place with 5 points being the difference between both clubs and they already know that one of their main areas that needs strengthening is their defensive line back.

Leonardo Bonucci made his move to Juventus in 2010 and has now become a crucial player for the Italian giants. As he turned into one of the biggest assets for the club it seems unlikely that Juventus will even consider allowing the 26 years old defender in moving away to another league and club.

Ricardo Carvalho is very happy with the way his new club AS Monaco has performed so far in the ongoing Ligue 1.

Carvalho signed for Monaco during the pre-season transfer window after he was released by his former club Real Madrid at the end of the last season. The Portuguese centre-back has made appearance in all the Ligue 1 games that Monaco has played so far in this season.

Monaco is currently at the top of the Ligue 1 points table with 10 points in 4 matches. However, they have to play some difficult matches in the next couple of weeks including the away game against the defending champions PSG.

Talking to the reporters a few days ago, Carvalho said, “We have had a terrific start. Hopefully, we will carry the good form on.”

“It has been an enjoyable few weeks for me here at Monaco. The guys are pretty supportive and friendly here.”
“I trained hard in the pre-season. So, my fitness is pretty good at the moment. I am happy with the way I am playing.”

AS Monaco defender Ricardo Carvalho is confident his former Real Madrid and Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo will sign a new deal with the Spanish giants amid speculations linking him with a sensational return to English football with former club Manchester United.

Rumors have consistently persisted about the future of the Portugal international skipper with Real Madrid who has himself seemed equivocal about his plans at times, and had openly admitted to being unhappy in Spain last season. Ronaldo recently posted a message on Twitter where he rubbished claims that he has signed a new deal with Madrid with his current one set to expire in 2015.

Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has publicly made the Champions League and the Copa del Rey as the main priorities for the club this season after falling 15 points behind leaders Barcelona in the table.

They recently managed to get past one of the strongest opponents in the competition – Manchester United – to play against Galatasaray in the quarter-finals. The first leg of the quarter-finals took place at the Santiago Bernabeu. After managing a 3-0 victory over the Turkish club, many predict that Real Madrid already have one foot in the semifinals.

In March the MLS will begin again meaning another year of exciting football will begin with the best players of America battling it out for the top spot on the table so that the teams can then qualify for the playoffs. People in America are getting excited for the season to begin and just like in any sport there are many who are starting to place bets on who they think will come out on top this season. It is always hard to make a prediction as to who will win a competition before it even starts but there are many who try.

Real Madrid has defeated Deportivo La Coruna in a La Liga match played at Estadio Municipal de Riazor on Saturday. Madrid won the match by 2-1.

This was 16th victory for Real Madrid in the ongoing La Liga. With this victory, Jose Mourinho’s side closed their gaps with Atletico Madrid which is at no. 2 in the La Liga points table. Real Madrid is now only 1 point behind Atletico Madrid. However, Atletico has played one match less than Real Madrid.

For this match, Jose Mourinho decided not to include two of their key players i.e. Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line up.

The Blancos didn’t have a good start. They looked under pressure in the initial parts of the first half, but, after a few minutes, they started getting their rhythm back.

Real Madrid had the opportunity of taking the lead when they got a free kick in the 15th minute of the match. Angel Di Maria took the free kick, but, his shot was not perfectly placed. The goalie of Deportivo La Coruna saved that easily.

Deportivo La Coruna got ahead by 1-0 in the 35th minute of the match. It was a great left footed strike by Riki, but, the ball should have been stopped by the Madrid goalkeeper. He didn’t time his dive well and the ball went past him.

The leveller for Madrid came in the 73rd minute. It was the substitute Kaka who found the net. The Brazilian midfielder got the ball just near the penalty area and he whipped the ball into the right hand corner of the net to bring the Blancos back into the match.

Just a few minutes before the end of the match, Gonzalo Higuain scored the second goal for Madrid by capitalizing on an awesome pass from Cristiano Ronaldo and gave his side an all important lead of 2-1. That proved to be the final nail in the coffin and Madrid walked away with all the three points from the match.

Real Madrid’s next match will be a Copa Del Rey clash against Barcelona on Tuesday at Camp Nou.

The defender of Real Madrid, Ricardo Carvalho, has said that he is delighted with the way his team has started the New Year.

Real Madrid has won both the matches that it has played this year. The first was a La Liga match against Real Sociedad which Madrid won by a close margin of 4-3 and then, in the Copa Del Rey clash against Celta Vigo, the Madrid players looked in great touch. Madrid thrashed Celta by a big margin of 4-0. That match was played at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the hero of Madrid’s victory against Celta. He scored a hat trick and made sure that his team would secure a big victory over Celta. Semi Khedira also scored a goal for Madrid in that match.

Talking to the reporters after the match against Celta, Carvalho said, “We have started brilliantly this year and we would like to carry on this momentum throughout the second half of the league. The first half didn’t go very well for us, but, we can make up for it if we remain consistent in the second half.”

“In the match against Sociedad, we had made a few errors, but, today, the boys were at the top of their games. These types of convincing victories lift the spirit of the whole team.”

When asked about the performance of Cristiano Ronaldo, Carvalho said, “He was in great form in the first half of the league and he has carried on that form in the New Year as well. That’s very good news for us.”

“We can’t afford to lose too many games from this stage. But, we don’t need to think too much ahead either. We just need to take it match by match and see how it goes.”

Raul Albiol and Ricardo Carvalho might be leaving Real Madrid during the mid season transfer window as both the players have not been getting starting opportunities. In the ongoing season, these two players have hardly got the opportunity to feature for Madrid.

The manager of Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho, had already said before the start of the season that it would be pretty tough for Carvalho to find a place in the starting XI and he might not get even a single starting opportunity in the whole season. Mourinho had also said that if Carvalho wanted to leave the club, he could do so.

But, Carvalho decided to stay with the club until the completion of the contract. On the other hand, Albiol’s contract was extended before the start of the season and he was expected to get a few starting opportunities, but, he has also been kept out of the starting XI in most of the matches.

There have been a few reports that these two players might join AC Milan in January. AC Milan has been struggling with defensive problems since the start of the season and they have lost 6 out of the 14 matches that they have played in the Italian Serie A League so far. They have managed to win only 5 and the remaining three matches have finished without any result. They are currently at no. 8 in the Serie A points table with 18 points.

The authorities of AC Milan are looking to sign the defenders who are experienced and are available at cheap rates. So, Carvalho and Albiol are the best options for them.

It has also been reported that the vice president of AC Milan, Adriano Galliani, met with the authorities of Real Madrid a few days back and discussed about the transfer of these two centre backs.

The French club Paris St Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that the Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has to wait a long time before he can become the manager of the French club. José Mourinho is currently the manager of one of the most successful clubs in the world in the form of Real Madrid.

However, he has stated on numerous occasions that he would never be part of a club for a long time. He has also stated his ambition to win league titles with various clubs across the European continent. He has already won league titles with Portuguese, English, Italian, and Spanish clubs.

He is one of the few managers in the world to have won four league titles in four different countries. France and Germany remain two of the high profile countries José Mourinho is yet to manage. Even though the Portuguese manager has not stated his obvious desire to become a manager of a football club in either France or Germany, it is thought that the French club PSG will have the necessary aura to bring him to Paris. However, the former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti intends to stay for a long time at the French capital before giving his job to José Mourinho.

“Here in Paris there is a good feeling with all – the players, the fans, the club,” said Carlo Ancelotti in response to the comments made by José Mourinho. “I think being the champions in another country is a motivation for me. I was a champion in four countries, so why not a fifth? Currently the PSG project is in the hands of quality people like Carlo Ancelotti and Leonardo. So, at this time the PSG don’t need another coach,” said the Real Madrid manager José Mourinho in a recent interview.