Calderon defends Real from criticism

The Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon defends his club against criticism about the manner of their attempts to land David Villa and Santi Cazorla.

Real Madrid's Gabriel Heinze, left, fights for the ball with Valencia's David Villa during their Spanish Super Cup final second leg match at El Santiago Bernabeu.

MADRID // The Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has defended his club against criticism they acted in a high-handed manner in their attempts to land Valencia's David Villa and Villarreal's Santi Cazorla. The Spain internationals chose to extend their existing deals with their clubs to 2014 yesterday, after late approaches from Real with the transfer window set to close this Monday. At the news conference to present Cazorla's improved deal, the Villarreal President Fernando Roig said: "We are a serious team who respect Spanish football, and we would want others to treat us the same way."

Valencia's president Vicente Soriano said at Villa's presentation: "I am sending a message to the world of football, Valencia will not be intimidated by any club, and even less by those that don't come to you directly and tell things straight," in a less than thinly-veiled dig at Los Galacticos. After Wednesday's 5-3 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the annual preseason El Santiago Bernabeu trophy, Mr Calderon explained to Spanish television station La Sexta his view of the move for Cazorla.

"We didn't want to play any dirty tricks on a colleague, paying the buyout clause on a player at a club like Villarreal isn't our style, with six or seven days to go to the end of the transfer window," he said. "We could have done it and the player would be here. I spoke with the Villarreal president and he told me they didn't want to sell and there it was left." In reference to a ?40 million (Dh217m) bid for Villa that the Valencia President Soriano said they had received, Mr Calderon denied Real had made an offer, though he admitted to enquiring about Villa at the Spanish Super Cup in Madrid on Sunday.

"I don't understand their anger. Soriano told me it would have to be a very large bid, and as a result I said we would not be interested, and that's it," he said. The Spanish champions have been on the lookout for a replacement for the Brazilian forward Robinho who appears close to a move to Chelsea. The player's agent Wagner Ribeiro was quoted as telling sports daily Marca today he expected a deal to be signed during the day, after meeting with the Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon in Madrid yesterday.

Mr Calderon maintained the club's view, however, that they would not be selling Robinho despite him watching the Bernabeu Trophy match from the stands. "The coach and the sports director want the player to stay and I am sure he will," Mr Calderon said. "Our squad is complete and it is impossible for us to have one better than the one we have." Real, who also failed to land Cristiano Ronaldo after a bitter transfer wrangle with Manchester United over the summer, kick-off the defence of their Primera Liga title away to Deportivo Coruna on Sunday.

*Reuters