Euro Leagues: Serie A Season Preview & Ronaldinho's Back!

20:55Julien Laurens:I've been fascinated by the project and yes they've got a lot of money they've got some of the richest owners not just in Italian football but in world football as well and because there was no Europe, I think they got away as well with the law of spending that they would have to control at some point in the near future, that's for sure. But it's not just the money they spend. It's like James just said, the way Cesc Fabregas has been improving this team individually and collectively. We've got a few Frenchmen in that team, Kakre and Dacuña, who Cesc has transformed. I mean, Kakre was a good player at Lyon.

21:24Julien Laurens:Dacuña was a very different pathway to where he is now, but he's made them top, top players and some of the best midfielders that we saw last season in Serie A, for example. And that's credit to the way Cesc has been working, the way the project has been structured too. And they can only go from strength to strength. At some point, as we said, the spending sprees are going to slow down inevitably. But yet, if they have the right foundations, they can be able still to build on that. The issue will be when Cesc goes. And we don't know when that will be because he also is a shareholder of his own club that he manages.

21:58Julien Laurens:So it's a bit of a very special position for him and situation. But that's the problem because he's the main reason, really, or the biggest reason, let's say, of why they've done so well in the last few years. Yeah, and he'll be looking forward to the Champions League this season. But they can't play their games at home, James.

22:15James Horncastle:I think they're still trying to play. Oh, really? It's not sorted yet. I heard it might be Sassuolo. So they've still got a chance, maybe, of playing at home. They've still got a chance because what they have done, and this is equally impressive, is they knocked down one of the stands. after the last home game of the season. And they have practically rebuilt that stand to UEFA spec. It's still not fully completed, and they will play their first three games in Serie A away from home. But from what I can tell, the hope is that they will be able to play Champions League football at the Senegalia.

22:52James Horncastle:Let's see. Let's hope so. Fingers crossed, because that will make it extra special for them. So on to AC Milan then. Ruben Amorim in charge, Jules. They're in for some fun press conferences, aren't they, this season?

23:05Julien Laurens:Yeah, and you know what? I like the fact that they went for him. They were linked with other managers too. And maybe for some, it was a surprise. They went for Amorim, considering what happened at United and the fact that he flopped, let's be honest here, over there, despite the Europa League final that he reached. But I think this team is probably more suited to him than United was at the time he took over. I think his style of football is probably, again, more suited to Serie A than it is to the Premier League. I would hope as well that he's learned from what went wrong in England and maybe doesn't have to change a lot of the things that he believes in, but certainly has understood that sometimes you can't be as stubborn maybe as he was at Old Trafford for most of it.

23:51Julien Laurens:I'm excited to see. I think they've done interesting business in the summer so far with Diego Moreira for example, with Gonzalo Ramos of course, both players that we had in Ligue 1 and did well in their own reasons and in their own context, really. So I think it's quite exciting. And to be fair, I like what Roma have done, but I think Milan, for me, might well be the team that is the closest to Inter at the end of the season. You agree, James. That's a big call after the disappointing season last season. Is Italy at the moment, the media, was it like when he was at Manchester United, every single podcast, every single TV show, can they play with three at the back?

24:27Will this formation work? Will the system work?

24:30James Horncastle:No, because everyone plays with three at the back apart from Cesc in City. So, no, he's found the perfect league for his football. And I think that's one of the reasons why people at the club are confident about Ruben. I've noticed there is a bit of scepticism online and more generally because I think, you know, Ruben's 18 months at United maybe hurt his credibility a little bit. There's also scepticism around ownership at AC Milan. The last couple of years haven't really gone that well. But there's been a real change of tack where the owner, Gerry Cardinal, has been very hands-on. He's been at the last two league games at the end of last season, when they fell out of the Champions League places, summoned the executive team in Allegri for a meeting, sacked them all.

25:21James Horncastle:He's run the show with people close to him this summer. choosing what the structure of the club was going to look like and then choosing Amorim. And right away, what did they do? They signed Gonzalo Ramos for a club record transfer fee. Moreira is the second highest fee that they've ever paid. And this is AC Milan we're talking about. So a real statement of ambition from the owner. And as Jules said, it's a squad that is suited to how he plays because they played with a back three under Allegri. was a very handbrake on Allegri. And that team was in the title race into March and the beginning of April last year.

26:03James Horncastle:And I think people have forgotten about that. So, you know, with these signings, with their new, more expansive style of football, if things do all go well, there's no reason why they can't be in contention for the title. And that's exactly what the owner wants. So a quick one on Juventus then, Jules. sixth last season, Luciano Spalletti still in charge, but Antonio Conte is out of a job at the moment. Do you think that shadow looms large in the background if he has a tough start to the season?

26:34Julien Laurens:A hundred percent. I mean, you could see it coming. And it's Italy as well, as we all know, and Hornier especially. And I just think that it's written somewhere in the stars. And we like Spalletti. There's a lot of really good things he's done through his career, obviously in also very different situations. and stuff and clubs. But you could easily see that one coming where the start of the season is not good, where Vicario or Colomani or Lukumi, the new signings, are not at the level expected, that the fans are not happy. And then you go in and Conte being Conte and Juventus being Juventus, to be fair, and Italian football being Italian football, that after the international break of September, October, Antonio Conte becomes, oh, maybe it's maybe a bit early, but very quickly, I think the pressure could mount and then Conte could be ready to come back.

27:21Julien Laurens:So some quick predictions. Both of you think AC Milan are going to do really well, but will it be enough to finish top?

27:27James Horncastle:Inter is still too good. And so it's a really boring pick. It's like everyone picking Arsenal to win the Premier League this year. But I just think Inter merits that prediction.

27:37Julien Laurens:Yeah, I agree. I think they'll be too good.

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28:13Five Life Sports. So here's the first ball of this series. All the cricket you love. Check for LBW. Ouch!

28:20James Horncastle:Lives on BBC Sounds. Smash straight back down the ground, this girl. Hear ball-by-ball coverage of the biggest competitions on the domestic and international circuits. It's a fourth rig and it's the huge one. Jeez, whoosh. Settle down, tough as I'm sorry. Cricket on Five Live Sport. Oh, I've lived every ball of this. Listen on BBC Sounds.

28:45Five Live Sports. The EuroLeague with John Bennett. Barcelona could be entering the season without a senior striker. The only centre-forward they have on their books is a promising 18-year-old Egyptian international, Hamza Abdelkareem. Robert Lewandowski left the club after his contract expired this summer. They sold Ferran Torres, who scored 21 goals last season, to Paris Saint-Germain as well. Pleased to say BBC Sports Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway joins us now. Hi, Liz. So the club have made it clear that their intention is to sign you, Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid. He said earlier this summer that he wanted to leave to fulfil his dream.

29:26How realistic is it? What's Atletico Madrid's stance on it? Hi, John. Well, it's just become an extraordinary story, especially since Julian, whilst out in the States at the World Cup, made it very, very clear publicly his desire to leave. That, let's say, didn't go down very well with Atletico fans, as you can imagine. Well, even within the last few days, The chief executive of Atletico, Miguel Angel Gilmarin, has said absolutely not to sell in Julian Alvarez. He said he wouldn't even sell him for 200 million euros. Their stance, even on social media, is so clear. Julian Alvarez is not for sale.

30:08Whether that stops Barcelona trying again, we'll have to see. So if we believe that and he doesn't arrive at Barcelona in this transfer window, what happens now? They have been linked to Victor Jokeres, haven't they? Would they possibly go for him? And then would that possibly open the door for Arsenal to pursue Alvarez? What would happen there? There's so many names being linked at the moment. And people at the club at Barcelona are telling me that the sports and management are working hard to find a striker. Hansi Flick himself said, we know there's a gap missing. Jokeres is a player who's been linked.

30:42It certainly fits the profile of a striker that Barcelona are looking for. But considering he only joined Arsenal 12 months ago, Barcelona would have to make a significant financial commitment to convince Arsenal to sell him. I'm just not sure that that one's going to go over the line. There's been other names linked, Lottaro, Martinez from Inter Milan. But again, Inter have come out and said, no, they're not selling him. Nicolo Tresoldi, a young striker from Club Rouge, another one fits the profile, good scoring capacity. but Club Bruges would demand a huge amount of money for him so I'm just not sure which player they're going to be able to afford who's profiled, who's going to fit the bill at this stage.

31:28Julian Aron's James Horncastle, what do you think is going to happen here? Could Barcelona really go a season without a recognised striker? What do you think, Jules?

31:36Julien Laurens:I think it's an unbelievable situation to be in, to be fair and they spend all that money on Rodri for example which is a position where they already had a lot of players and a lot of talent, maybe not a former Ballon d 'Or winner or maybe not a World Cup winner. I get that. But surely the priority would have been to find a number nine. And then once you've done that, then maybe look at Rodri, look at centre-back, look at bringing back Cancelo, those kind of things that they've done in the summer. But the fact that they knew Lewandowski was going, obviously. They knew, I think, very early in the summer that Ferran Torres was more likely to leave.

32:12Julien Laurens:considering that he was linked with PSG and in discussion with PSG even before the start of the World Cup. And yet to not be more prepared to be left now with 10 days in the transfer window panicking, because that number nine is going to be a panic buy, whoever that is, whether it's Joe Carres, Luis Juarez, Sporting, all the name that we've just mentioned as well. It doesn't matter. It's a panic buy at this stage. And we've seen that training. I mean, Yamal playing as a false nine. We saw Rafinha playing as a false nine. Gordon can play as a false nine. Adel Karim, the young Egyptian prodigy who's only 18, who scored again on Wednesday night in the friendly against Al-Hali, is a really potential good player.

32:48Julien Laurens:But he's still so young. I'm not sure if you're Barcelona, you can start the season and have him as your only proper striker, proper number nine through the whole season. I just find it incredible that they find themselves in this position.

32:59James Horncastle:I think, you know, Cesc should just give them a call and say, look, I've got Alvaro Morata here on the lake. Do you want Alvaro? Alvaro is not going to play. I've got this Greek guy. What a CV that would be. That would really add to the CV, wouldn't it? It would. The one thing, I mean, Elizabeth will know better than I do about their transfer spending ability going to the final weeks of the season because it seems like they believe they could have signed Julian. Victor Osserman, your boy in Galatasaray, JB. Like, you know, bring Victor back to relevance. Let's have it. Wow, Victor Osserman, what a signing that would be.

33:34Could the answer, though, Liz, be Anthony Gordon? How has he settled in so far at Barcelona? He's played number nine before in the Champions League for Newcastle. Yeah, he has done. And Flick said in his press conference, when obviously journalists are asking him very clearly about this gap in their squad, that they have the likes of Gordon, who can play a false nine. But as we've seen, he's so much better on the wing. As is Laminia Marling, Flick said, I want to keep him on the right. That's where we know he's best. Gordon is settled in fantastically. he's started well, he's having a really good pre-season and by all accounts, he's going to be a fantastic signing for Barca fans, supporters are thrilled with him obviously off the back of a phenomenal World Cup I think Barcelona fans who'd known of him kind of as an England player but wouldn't have really known much about him suddenly were like, who is this new signing we've got?

34:27Let's bring in Gordon and I'm really keen to see how he gets on this season So I don't know whether Gordon's going to be a full-time fix, but you've got to say, what, less than two weeks till the end of that transfer window closes on the 1st of September. Barcelona need to find a solution. They need to find it quickly. They've got their first La Liga game this weekend against Elche. There's no time to lose.

34:51James Horncastle:I've got another name. I was thinking, who has been in this situation? And it took me back to Drew Bellingham's season at Real Madrid. and he was sharing that goal scoring burden with Hosolu. Liz, what's Hosolu doing these days? I have no idea. Bring Hosolu back. That would be great. I'd love to see Hosolu do Real Madrid and Barcelona. That would be amazing. Start the campaign now. Hosolu to Barca. Liz, just a quick one on Anthony Gordon. His Spanish is already nearly as good as yours, isn't it? I know your Spanish is great, but he's really caught on quick, hasn't he? He said he was doing the lessons for a long time.

35:29Yeah, you know what? I was very impressed. And he's done the right thing. He's got in with the fans. And the way to do that with Barcelona fans is to speak a bit of Catalan. Honest to goodness, the best thing you can do when you sign for Barcelona is learn a couple of phrases in Catalan. He did that. He did the rest of his opening speech in Spanish. He said he learned it from a physiotherapist at Newcastle who was Spanish. And he started getting his lessons in. Yeah, very impressed. Decent level. and no doubt it will continue to improve. A Hossolu update. A couple of years in Qatar. Free agent.

36:02He's available. Free agent. There we go. I think he's got an agent. James Horncastle. I want him to call Deco immediately and tell him. Who's Deco even? Bring Horncastle into Deco every day at the company. Let's move on now on EuroLeague. James Horncastle is with us. Julian Laurent is with us as well. And Elizabeth Conway, BBC Sports Spanish football reporter, staying with us as well. We want to talk about Malaga now because their first match back in La Liga since 2018 was this week. 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid and what a journey they have had over the last decade. They fell into the Spanish third tier, had their only owner removed by a regional court, were on the brink of liquidation before returning to the Segunda division and now back in La Liga.

36:53They only spent one season in the third tier, which is known as the well. So they've literally been to the well and back. I'm pleased to say that Malaga supporter and journalist José Luis Sabatel joins us now. José Luis, firstly, how emotional was it to be back in La Liga? How emotional was that game against Atletico Madrid, the build up to that game after what your club has been through? Well, hello, John. Hello, guys. It's a pleasure to be with you. It was, you can imagine, three years ago we were at the third tier, as you said, and now we're playing at Atletico Madrid's field in the Metropolitano with 70 ,000 stands.

37:32So it was a bit emotional. You know, we are a team with very young players, with people from here, from Malaga, from Andalusia. And it was really, really enthusiastic. Just how tough has this journey been all the way down to the third tier? Tell me about the fans. Did everyone rally together when the worst times happened and all the financial troubles, the removal of the owner? Did everyone rally around? Did it almost increase the fan base? Well, there is a strange thing that is unusual. You know, when we were relegated to the third tier, there were lots and lots of people in Malaga that came into the supporting to Malaga.

38:16I mean, there were people in Malaga supporting Real Madrid and Barcelona. You know, there is always this thing in Spain that most of people support Madrid and Barcelona. But in Malaga, when we were at our worst moment in 30 years, people in Malaga, like, really relieved that we are from here. We want to support our team. We want to go to La Rosaleda. and not only La Rosaleda, but going to Pils, you can imagine, the third year. We were at the stadiums with 2 ,000 of capacity. So we were very united. And that has been the root of this lovely story.

38:57Julien Laurens:Talk to us about the manager in Juan Funes, who's been clearly the key because when he arrived, things were not great right at the start of last season and the season before that. I think Malaga finished 16th in the second division. So he didn't look at the time that they could go back up anytime soon to La Liga. And yet with this young team, as you mentioned, with 90 % of Spanish players anywhere, very much local too, he managed to almost do miracles, right? Yeah, that's true. We say that it is extremely convoluted because, well, he said once, Netflix should make a series of this story. because he came last year when Malaga was at relegation positions.

39:40He was at the under-23 team struggling in the last position of the table at fifth tier. So people in Malaga said, I mean, we are bad. We are struggling a lot in the second division and we bring the last one of the fifth division to try to redrive the situation. So he's a teacher. He's not a coach. He was a teacher in his many years. And he has trained, he has coached lots of the players that now are in Malaga. The players that now have returned Malaga to the first tier are people from the academy, are people from our neighbourhoods, are people from here. So they know him and they know that he's their footballistic father for them.

40:27So that was a bit of a lovely mix. and I think it's the best way you can get back to the first division is playing with your guys. Yeah, there's so much to this story. I mean, the fact he's a former teacher, the rise from the depths. Me and Liz are going to be fighting it out to pitch the documentary to our bosses here at BBC Sport. James, I was looking back at that Malaga side from 2013. They were minutes away from a Champions League semi-final, weren't they? Some amazing names in that team. And that shows you to be there at that height, to go all the way down to the third tier to be back now.

41:01I love these kind of stories, these comeback stories.

41:03James Horncastle:So close against Dortmund. And that was a class Dortmund team as well, with Kloppo in charge. I mean, yeah, I love these stories as well, where you have essentially what are Phoenix clubs. I mean, we've seen it in Italy with Parlamas doing it twice, sort of going down into the third tier and doing the triple jump, bouncing back, you know, consecutive promotions. it's really difficult to do. I mean, for all the Malagas, the Palmas, the Fiorentinas in the world, there are other clubs that never make it back. So it does make it really special when they do. So, Jose Luis, big question. Are Malaga going to stay up?

41:42Do you think it will happen this season? Will you avoid relegation? Well, you know, Herd says yes. I don't know where's the point, but, you know, there is a thing that we are, I like to say, being extremely humble that we are the worst teams in the first division because we were the last one promoting. So we promoted in the playoffs. We are like the last one coming. But I think we have players that 10, 12 teams would like to have in their starting squad. So I think we have a very competitive squad. We have our academy players are going to be, I'm not going to say the national team, but in European teams I think for the next year it's a miracle to have stayed with us so La Rubia Chubé you'll get to know them I hope for this year but I think if I should have if I put my my money I say we are going to to stay up yes right at the end there your confidence came back Jose Luis thank you so much Jose Luis Sabatel there Malaga supporter and journalist it's not the only comeback story Is it, Liz?

42:55Before we let you go, Deportivo La Coruña, back in La Liga. I love this. And yours will love the goal scorer as well, who scored with them the other day. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring goals for them. This must be a big story over in Spain, Deportivo La Coruña being back. Yeah, huge. And the irony is they've also been away for more or less eight years, the same amount of time that Malaga have been away, with both of them facing each other next week. So what a game that will be. that the two sides finally back in La Liga after such a long wait. You can imagine the anticipation of their supporters.

43:31But Aubameyang, I mean, it's such a smart signing from Deportivo. They signed him from Marseille for around 1.5 million. He's 37 years old. He's a veteran, really. But they don't have the money to sign an established La Liga goal scorer in their prime. They've taken the chance on a veteran who's already proven himself many times on the highest level. And, you know, for Arsenal fans particularly, it's such a lovely connection that Aubameyang, still there playing for Deportivo, scored the goal in their last game and just gives that side a bit of something a bit special, something for perhaps fans around the world who aren't necessarily in Spain to just keep an eye on Deportivo with Aubameyang there.

44:16Julien Laurens:And for the Arsenal fans... Asik could use him back. Yeah. And for the Arsenal fans or Blackpool or Swansea fans, Charlie Patino, who is only still 22 years old, is also part of the La Coruña squad for the season.

44:29James Horncastle:You haven't mentioned the best thing about Depor, which is they have a goalkeeper called Leo Romain Riquelme. Oh! The nostalgia! We're really... This programme has been full of nostalgia. Elizabeth Colmway, thank you so much for joining us and keeping us updated there on Barcelona, Malaga and Deportiva La Coruña as well. Read a lot more from Elizabeth Conway on the BBC Sport website, keeping us updated with Spanish football throughout the season. Right, I want to finish Euroleague by going to France. And we're going to have to be quick here with each subject because we want to leave a bit of time, James, to take the mick out of Julien and Paris Saint-Germain for their pitch.

45:08What is going on with this pitch? European champions can't even get their pitch sorted. But let's start with Paul Pogba. So Monaco have terminated his contract with a year left. What? After playing just six games for the club. Jules, I know you've followed his career very, very closely. The big question everyone is asking since this news, what happens now? Because so many injury problems, he picked up an injury in pre-season. What do you think the next step is going to be if there is a next step in his playing career?

45:40Julien Laurens:Yeah, it's a great question, JB. He obviously wants to continue trying because I was going to say continue playing, but it's not even that. At the moment, he's still trying to recover his career, really, and be able to play more than six games. And he was not even full six games of 19 minutes. Those six appearances that you mentioned were five minutes there, 10 there, 15 there. And that was not enough, certainly from Monaco, but also from Paul and his point of view. So that's where he is now. He's very frustrated. He wants another one last challenge at 33 years old. He will turn 34 in March. It looks really much like MLS if there's a taker or the Saudi league if there's a taker as well.

46:24Julien Laurens:But the problem would be his body. And that has been the case for the last few years on top of the doping ban, obviously. And it's sad in a way because I think a year ago when he joined Monaco over that two-year contract, and the deal was really clear. if that first season didn't work out, both of them would agree to stop there. And that's exactly what happened because as we've been saying, that first season didn't really go according to plans, but there was so much hope, maybe a bit naively too, from everybody at Monaco, Paul and his people around him, the family, everybody, us two on the show.

46:59Julien Laurens:I remember saying, okay, maybe he could even make the World Cup. You know, if things go well, who knows what can happen? Deschamps loves him, blah, blah, blah. And in the end, it was so far from that. That is, again, the sad story of Paul Pogba continues and we get closer and closer to the end, which would have been years of waste, really, because it's a long time ago since he's been a proper footballer. Commercially, though, James, it's still been an attractive prospect, wouldn't it, for a club in the MLS, for example? And Jules mentioned the Saudi League. Do you think there will be one more chapter?

47:30Do you think he will keep trying? His wife, I know, on social media, seemed to hint that he wanted to keep playing. I think if that's his desire, then he might still be able to persuade somebody to give him a chance.

47:47James Horncastle:We've seen this, for example, with Dele Alli. Dele Alli went to have a trial at Como, I think on the hope to get himself fit, maybe play himself into the team. It didn't quite happen. I think maybe Pogba will have to take a similar kind of decision because I'm not sure the commercial angle on its own works. The commercial angle works if you are on the pitch and you're playing football. If you're just in the sidelines, in the stands or in the gym, it's not enough. So, look, I mean, it's terrible really because Paul was such a big talent. I remember when he went back to Juventus from Manchester United, you know, it was supposed to be his homecoming and he got injured in pre-season.

48:41James Horncastle:And instead of he didn't want to have surgery because he wanted to be at the World Cup and then sort of relapsed as he tried to make a comeback. And he's never quite been the same since, regardless of the doping plan that followed it. So, yeah, it's you know, he was he was such a big name. I mean, let's be fair, he's already achieved enough in his career to finish his career if he wants that. He's won a World Cup, he's won league titles, he's played at some of the biggest clubs in the world. But yeah, I think it will depend on himself and whether he can get himself right to end his career how he would like to end it.

49:20So that was a big story in France. But the big story over the last couple of days, this Paris Saint-Germain pitch. So they have had to move their opening match after the heat damaged the surface at Parc de Prins. So they did play Rennes, weren't they, Jules? And now the game is going to be played at Rennes, but this won't necessarily be switched to their away game. They might have to play Rennes twice away from home. This must be really embarrassing, though, for PSG over the month. It is.

49:46Julien Laurens:If you remember the style of last season, so the summer 2025, already the pitch was not in great conditions. They had a mushroom. Do you say that for the pitch in English? we said that in French yeah fungal infection I think yeah exactly that which has happened again with the heat waves that hit Europe through the summer and that really damaged badly the pitch is getting changed next week but obviously would not be ready for Sunday night and the game against Genn the league went to check it with some like grass expert who said that it was actually dangerous for the players to play on it it was that bad so they could only move it why they moved it only on Wednesday night.

50:27Julien Laurens:Yeah, for the fans, that is really poor, isn't it? Because fans have booked hotels. It's not about tickets, is it? Travel, accommodation. Absolutely. And it was a sell-out game as well at the Par de France. So it's going to be difficult. And you're right. Rennes are not saying, hang on a minute. We didn't ask for this. We didn't want this. We want what would have been the return leg in Rennes in March to stay in our own stadium. And the rules basically say the same. The rules say when you basically almost forfeited your own stadium for a game like they have, so they want to play the game, but they have to play a Rennes, then that doesn't give you the right to invert the written fixtures, basically.

51:04Julien Laurens:So you're right, we might have two Rennes-PhD games in the season, which, by the way, in terms of ethics, is not good at all because everybody else will have home and away against PSG. Rennes will be the only one to have home-home against PSG, which gives them an advantage, obviously. So I don't know where that will go, but it's not a good way to start for Luis Enrique and PSG, who also lost the French Community Shield last weekend to Lens. And despite the new signing, there's also the Barcolan-Embay saga, where they're not even in the squad because clearly the club is deeming them not ready mentally to play those kind of games.

51:40Julien Laurens:So it's a very interesting next two weeks for PSG. Just time before we go for your quickfire season predictions. This is why I thought Jules maybe wasn't turning up when he wasn't here at the start of the show. I thought he might have been in fear about the quickfire predictions. I think I might take part as well, I think. Go for it. So, first one's an easy one. Champions League winner. Who are we going for? I know what Jules is going to say, James, but we'll start with you, James.

52:07James Horncastle:Well, to be different from Jules, Bayern Munich. I'm going to be different. Despite the fact we talked about them having no striker, I want them to sign Hosselu. I'm going to say Barcelona. Barcelona will win it. Jules?

52:20Julien Laurens:I mean, you knew when you asked the question. I think PSG are going to do three-peats and equal Zidane and Real Madrid of Cristiano and all of that to make even more history. Just have to sort the pitch. Signing of the season. James? All leagues combined. All leagues, all leagues. Yeah. Outside the Premier League. I'll start. I'll go for one that, Jules, you'll like. Aklouche. I think that's a great signing by the Premier League. Saint-Germain. Yeah, I think that's a really nice pick, JB. I love when you pick something in link with PSG. What are we going for, guys?

52:53James Horncastle:Look, I was going to go for Bernardo at Real Madrid on a free transfer, just because everyone's focused on the fact that they don't have a midfield player. They missed out on Rodri. But I think if you stack that midfield with physicality and you have Bernardo around there, maybe you don't need a kind of Modric or a Toni Kroos because he's got all the angles up there in his head. So I think Bernardo on a three is a good move.

53:18Julien Laurens:I was going to say Jan Jomonde. I know he's two Real Madrid players and we could have gone to Saibari, which I think is a very smart signing from Bayern. Jomonde is exciting and everybody wanted him this summer. I wish I'd gone to Saibari. That's a great shout. Underdog or surprise package. I'm tempted to say Malaga to finish mid-table, but I actually chose Como to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League. James, what are you going for?

53:40James Horncastle:I mean, I love Cesc. they'll be in pot four so it's quite it'll be difficult I think oh dear I might revise that no no I'll stick with it I'll stick with it but mine was going to stick with Italy and it was it was going to say Roma into I'm not sure how deep in the Champions League I think a quarterfinal with Gasparini I like the business that they've done I think year two of Gasparini they'll be better so yeah I'm going to say Roma quarterfinal of the Champions League

54:11Julien Laurens:and last but not least duels? I mean, I'm going to go old school and go for Le Mans, who are back in the top flight in France, in Ligue 1, with big names, owners or shareholders, if you want, the likes of Djokovic or Courtois. Really exciting young manager and Patrick Videira, and I think they can do well in Ligue 1. Julian La Ronze, thanks for turning up. And... James are waiting for me to start the show, by the way. James Hawke, so thanks very much, as ever. We'll speak to you very soon. That was ESPN's Julian Laurenz and the Athletics' James Horncastle with us. If you're wondering why there was no German football chat, don't worry.

54:46Next week, we'll do a full Bundesliga season preview. Next up on the Football Daily, it's the return of the Commentator's View with John Murray, Ian Dennis and Alistair Bruce.