Playing hardball

It's started already with Real Madrid's mischievous discount bid for Trent Alexander-Arnold and the Spanish footballing authorities telling Barcelona that they can't play their Spanish international star Dani Olmo.

I'd previously predicted in this column that Real would test Liverpool FC's resolve with a tempting winter offer. They've always needed a long-term replacement for Dani Carvajal; but now the need is the short-term too, as the right-back is out for the season.

The Liverpool star is arguably the best in the world in that position - and certainly the most eligible. Madrid could wait until the summer to sign him for free. As he's in the last six months of his contract, he could start negotiations now. The Merseyside club is run by American businessmen who know that they have a ready-made replacement in Conor Bradley. So there will be a price Liverpool's owners would consider allowing the player to leave - whilst still in contract.

Ultimately, it will come down to the player and whether he wants to suffer the wrath of his hometown folk by leaving the shores earlier than anticipated.

Over in Barcelona, Dani Olmo doesn't have that privilege. He returned to his home-town club in the summer in a €50m deal; but due to strict financial regulations, the club could only register him when Andreas Christensen went onto the injured list. Now the Dane is fit and back onto the official roster, Olmo becomes unregistered.

Barça have twice tried and failed to re-register him, but the response was: 'FC Barcelona has not presented any alternative that, in compliance with LaLiga's economic control regulations, would allow it to register any player after 2 January.'

La Liga is playing hard-ball and insisting he can't re-register in the same season - as it would exceed the strict wage-cap. Barcelona have countered by claiming that a deal to fill the VIP boxes at the revamped Camp Nou will bring in €100m.

The arguments threaten to continue for weeks and weeks.

Across in Valencia, money is just as tight. Any spare change the club had knocking around has been used up on a change of coaches. Club legend Rubén Baraja was relieved of his duties with side second from bottom of the table; Carlos Corberán couldn't resist the call to return to his home-town club.

Somehow Valencia scraped together €4m to compensate West Bromwich Albion for his services. The English Championship club are desperate for the money. Corberán, took them to the brink of the play-offs last season and left them in a healthy 7th place despite having his budget cut by 30%.

He's proven to be a master of working at clubs with a limited budget - and Valencia undoubtedly have a limited budget.

January is certainly the month football club accountants are more prominent and important than their managers.