Open Thread: October 2, 2020.

Hola Madridistas!

The Open Thread/Daily Merengue is a place where you can discuss anything and everything related to football. Feel free to discuss the topics presented here, or start your very own discussions! The Open thread will be posted every day by one of the mods: Valyrian Steel, Felipejack or Oscnar.

Mayoral to Roma

Basically a done deal (but once again, nothing is done until official confirmation). Mayoral will reportedly be loaned out for two years to Roma, after extending his contract with Madrid that was due to end next summer. The two year loan includes an option to buy the player for 15 million after the first season, while they can buy him for 20 million after the second season. All this according to Marca. If this is true, then I wish Mayoral all the best!

UEFA allows fans back in the stadium in the European competitions

UEFA announced yesterday (Thursday) that fans will be allowed to watch the European competitions live at the stadium. There are still some restrictions, as only 30% of the maximum capacity is allowed in to the stadium (about 24 000 for the Bernabeu). The biggest catch however is that the local authorities have to give the green light. With the current COVID-19 situation in Madrid, it looks extremely unlikely that fans even in theory could watch the game live at the Bernabeu in the coming weeks, perhaps even months. It is also unclear how this would affect the Bernabeu renovations, or if the team would continue playing their games at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano.

ICYMI: Tracking Luka Jovic’s Off Ball Movement vs Real Valladolid

Matt Wiltse did a great analysis on Jovic’s off ball movement against Valladolid. You can read the article here