Forward has not yet been registered by financially troubled club in a summer when Real Madrid have spent €200m
L
a Liga begins again in Girona on Friday evening, a five-day weekend to start it off, and for the first time the division’s biggest clubs, every side competing for the title, share a vital weapon: they all have Englishmen in their team. Trent Alexander-Arnold, just Trent now on his No 12 shirt, has joined Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid. Nine players have left Atlético Madrid, but Conor Gallagher isn’t one of them. Marcus Rashford has landed in Barcelona, 39 years after Gary Lineker. And Oviemuno Ejaria has just signed a two-year deal at Real Oviedo.
Or, if you prefer your obvious jokes to have a slightly different bias, another team for the punchline, Tyrhys Dolan has joined Espanyol.
Ejaria is the last in, a three-week trial convincing the coach, Veljko Paunovic, to give him an opportunity at a club returning to the first division 24 years later, joining on the same salary as teammate Santi Cazorla: the €195,000 (£168,100) minimum wage. Alexander-Arnold was the first, two months ago and on 75 times more having arrived for free until Madrid decided they needed him at the Club World Cup and spent €10m to get him an early release. Dolan’s arrival intrigues. But Rashford is likely to command the most attention this weekend.
