Real Madrid will take its search for a new goalkeeper to England when its transfer ban is lifted in the summer.
Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has been added to Zinedine Zidane’s wish list, which also includes Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and former target David De Gea of Manchester United, reports The Telegraph’s Matt Law.
The search revives the side’s shot-stopper hunt of 19 months ago, which culminated with De Gea’s £29.3-million move to the Santiago Bernabeu – with Keylor Navas shifting in the other direction – collapsing due to United’s apparent administrative error.
Related: Real Madrid pins blame on Manchester United for botching David De Gea transfer
Navas somewhat awkwardly continued as Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper after the bodged switch, but he’s never completely won over a support accustomed to having the finest Spanish goalkeepers between the sticks. The latest rumblings would immediately put De Gea back atop the fans’ dream captures, but United is likely to fight to retain his services.
Therefore, Lloris, 30, has emerged as a potential buy. The France international currently takes home around £100,000 a week on a new contract that runs until 2022 but could be tempted by doubled wages in the Spanish capital. Similar to the De Gea situation, there would be a reluctance from Spurs to sell their skipper, but the sales of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale from north London to Real Madrid show that their resolve can be tested.
The favourite for the Real Madrid brass would be Courtois, however, who impressed at Atletico Madrid in a three-year loan spell before relieving Petr Cech of glove-donning duties at Stamford Bridge in 2014. It’s believed the 24-year-old is settled at Chelsea after a strong season so far, though, so a new contract could be likelier than a switch to Real Madrid.
Navas will continue to mind the net for Real Madrid’s trip to Osasuna on Saturday, with Kiko Casilla set to have his opportunities limited by the club’s Copa del Rey elimination at the hands of Celta Vigo last week.
HOUSTON — Two years ago, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gave the truck he received as Super Bowl XLIX Most Valuable Player to cornerback Malcolm Butler for his game-saving interception. This year, he has plans to do something similar.
“I think James White deserves it,” Brady said Monday morning at the traditional Super Bowl MVP news conference.
White, a third-year running back from Wisconsin, set Super Bowl records with 14 receptions and 20 points scored in Sunday’s dramatic 34-28 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He rushed for the Patriots’ final two touchdowns, had a two-point conversion, and caught a 5-yard touchdown pass as well. The three touchdowns tied a Super Bowl record.
Brady, weary-eyed from just a few hours of sleep, compared White to his 9-year-old son Jack.
Super Bowl LI MVP Tom Brady poses with his fourth Pete Rozelle Trophy after helping the Patriots win a fifth Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LI. AP Photo/Morry Gash
“He just does everything right and you can never get mad at him,” he joked. “Even when he doesn’t make the play, he feels worse about it than you do. He’s just the best teammate, an incredible player, and has been that way since he really assumed that big role when Dion [Lewis] got hurt [in November 2015]. I’m so proud of everything he’s accomplished. I’ve seen him grow up as a rookie, to working his tail off and becoming a big factor in all these games.”
White, whose 110 receiving yards in Super Bowl LI was a record for a running back, fills the “passing back” role in the offense. That role has traditionally been a big part of the team’s plans, with players such as Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and Lewis.
“They’re tough matchups; not only can they run, and not only can they catch, but they pass-protect too, so they bring a lot of toughness,” Brady said, praising running backs coach Ivan Fears for his work before turning his attention back to White: “It was a great performance by him when we needed it most on the biggest stage, and he really came through for us.”
At the news conference, Brady was introduced by commissioner Roger Goodell, who called it a “great honor” for the league and him personally to have Brady and head coach Bill Belichick on hand.
Given the recent history between Goodell and Brady with the NFL’s Deflategate penalties, some wondered if there would be any notable interactions between them. After Goodell called Brady onto the stage, they took a photo together in front of the Lombardi Trophy and the Pete Rozelle Trophy awarded to the MVP before Brady answered questions from reporters.
Roger Goodell calls up Tom Brady to receive his MVP trophy. pic.twitter.com/BPS0ISLUhR
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 6, 2017
Judge Richard Berman, who ruled against the NFL in Deflategate, told The Associated Press in an email that the Patriots showed with their Super Bowl victory “never to quit, everything is possible, and the importance of teamwork.”
When Brady concluded the media question-and-answer session, he grasped the MVP trophy, said “I’m taking this home!” and walked off the stage toward Goodell.
Tom Brady says “I’m taking this home” as he walks off stage and shakes hands with Roger Goodell & Bill Belichick. pic.twitter.com/29cdsf455y
HOUSTON — The New England Patriots’ season ended with a 34-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, as they charged back from a 25-point second-half deficit. Here is a look at the season and what’s next:
Grade: A+
Season summary: The bar has been raised high in New England under Bill Belichick, as seasons are defined by whether the team’s Super Bowl hopes were realized. Anything less than that and it falls short.
If this were just about the regular season, the 2016 campaign was one of the most impressive of Belichick’s 17 years as coach. The year began without quarterback Tom Brady, who served a four-game suspension as part of the NFL’s Deflategate penalties, and the Patriots came out of that with a 3-1 record. Having backup Jimmy Garoppolo ready to go was a strong reflection on Garoppolo and the coaching staff, and then when he injured his shoulder, winning in Week 3 with rookie Jacoby Brissett under center was a terrific accomplishment.
By season’s end, it’s hard to argue much with a 14-2 record, a team record for fewest interceptions in a season (two, smashing the previous mark of five), and a level of consistency that continues to impress as volatility prevails across most of the rest of the NFL landscape.
But in the end, this is always about the playoffs for the Patriots, and anything less than a Super Bowl ring is a disappointment. Talk about high-class living.
With Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, it’s still Super Bowl or bust for the Patriots. AP Photo/Steven Senne
Are LB Dont’a Hightower or CB Malcolm Butler signed to extensions? When cornerback Darrelle Revis signed a lucrative free-agent deal with the Jets in 2015, owner Robert Kraft pointed out how the team had some up-and-coming players due for extensions and that every decision the team made had a trickle-down effect. Two of those players Kraft referred to, Chandler Jones (Cardinals) and Jamie Collins (Browns), are now elsewhere and that leaves Hightower and Butler as the next in line. Hightower, who made some of the biggest defensive plays in Super Bowl LI, is an unrestricted free agent who could get the franchise tag if an extension isn’t reached. Butler is a restricted free agent.
What happens with QB Jimmy Garoppolo? This is one of the most fascinating storylines across the entire NFL, as Garoppolo has great value to the Patriots as the backup to the soon-to-be-40-year-old Brady, but if another team is willing to put together a can’t-refuse-it deal, do the Patriots take the plunge? Garoppolo is a free agent after the 2017 season and the Patriots could lose him after that anyway. How the team views the future of Brissett, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft, figures to be part of the consideration as well.
What is a realistic expectation for Rob Gronkowski? The Patriots are in a good economic position to not have their hand forced with Gronkowski, who is coming off back surgery and due to earn $4.25 million in base salary in 2017. Gronkowski should be part of the team’s plans, but how much they can rely on him could have an impact on their team-building plans. If Gronkowski sustains another season-ending injury in 2017, what then? Gronkowski’s base salaries spike to $8 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019, which is a lot more for the team to absorb if there are injury concerns. So Gronkowski’s return to health in 2017, and how that proceeds, will be watched closely.
HOUSTON — Kyle Shanahan was asked the question in every which way, but really there was no good way to answer.
The Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator, who is set to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, faced his share of scrutiny after the Falcons’ 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLI. The game marked the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history, as the Falcons squandered a 28-3 lead with 8 minutes, 31 seconds left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter with the Falcons leading 28-20, the Falcons seem to be in prime position to withstand the Patriots’ charge by converting a field goal and pushing the lead to 11. Julio Jones made a breathtaking, tip-toe catch on the sideline to give the Falcons a first-and-10 from the Patriots’ 22-yard line. The Falcons ran the ball with Devonta Freeman on first down for a 1-yard loss. Fellow running back Tevin Coleman was out of the game with an ankle injury.
Trey Flowers’ sack of Matt Ryan pushed the Falcons out of field-goal range. Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports
So why not a run a little more on second down or even third to kill the clock?
“You always want to run the ball, if you can,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to look at each situation when you’re given the ball with down and distance. Got a few big plays there in the pass game, missed a couple in the run game. Had a couple guys go down, a running back [Coleman] and a tackle [Ryan Schraeder]. Got behind the chains a little bit. We were trying to score there. Got into field goal range where we would have ended it, but again that sack and that holding call was tough.”
Shanahan was asked again why not run the ball while in field goal range with such little time left in the game.
“I think we did on first down,” Shanahan said, referring to the Freeman play. “I think we lost a yard. You think just run the ball and make your guy kick a 50-yard field goal. You want to try your hardest to give him a great chance to first sure to make it. Thought we could get some yards but ended up getting sacked. It’s really an option after that.”
The field goal would have been more in the 40-yard range, which would have been right up Pro Bowler Matt Bryant’s alley.
There was another instance earlier in the quarter when Shanahan opted to have Ryan drop back to pass on third-and-1 from his own 36-yard line. The end result was a sack-fumble that the Patriots recovered. Then Tom Brady marched the Patriots on a five-play, 25-yard scoring drive capped by a touchdown pass to Danny Amedola and a two-point conversion.
Again, Shanahan was asked about not running the ball in the quarter and the balance between wanting to stay aggressive and shrewd clock management.
“It’s not really the run-pass ratio that I look at,” Shanahan said. “It’s you stay on the field, and you run your offense. When we went three-and-out two times, which was huge. I think we had second-and-1 on both of those. To not convert on second-and-1 and then third, it was tough. That’s why we let them get back into the game.”
Shanahan, one last time, was asked about the playcalling when the Falcons were in field goal range.
“The thought is to get as many yards as you can,” Shanahan said. “And we were right there on the fringe. It was by no means an easy field goal. From what I remember, we ran in on first-and-10 and lost yards. Got into second-and-11, so we try to get a pass to get us back into a manageable third down, closer to the field goal, and we took a sack.
“Taking a sack ? got us into a third-and-20, so we threw a quick pass trying to get back into field-goal range, which we did. But there was a holding call on the play. And when you get a holding call on third-and-20, it goes back that far. We were way out of field-goal range. We tried our best to get back in but couldn’t get it done.”
Dan Quinn offered his thoughts on the playcalling on the particular sequence after the Jones catch.
“It was a fantastic catch and so my initial thought, we’re getting closer here, but having a chance to go score, we knew how good the other side was, too, so we wanted to go attack at every opportunity,” Quinn said. “So when it didn’t work out, it’s easy to second guess on that.”
