"The bad part is over. Now something good is starting"

Carlo Ancelotti had the chance to speak to Gareth Bale on two occasions on Monday - both before and after the player's official presentation when the club welcomed the Welshman and encouraged him to work hard to make up for his lack of pre-season training.

Ancelotti is well aware that Bale has not only fallen well behind in terms of fitness, but has also suffered from the psychological strain of the long negotiation period between Tottenham and Real Madrid.

For this reason, the first thing the Italian coach wants him to do is clear his head and forget about the past. "The bad part is over. Now something very good is starting for him and the team", the coach said.

Immense pressure
Ancelotti already has the player's medical reports, which show his good level of fitness. But it remains to be seen how Bale will handle his first games in a Real shirt and the immense pressure at the club. The winger will need support in this area, which is where Zidane will come in, as he has done so with the other new signings. However, Bale is not Isco, Illarramendi, Carvajal or Casemiro. The Welshman is the star signing and Ancelotti knows that there will be much less patience.

The two conversations between Ancelotti and Bale were important ones, not just because the player was welcomed to his new club, but also as a show of support to let him know he is a key player.

Bale, a unique talent

gareth Bale's medical test - at the Sanitas Clinic in La Moraleja - confirmed the player's superb fitness level and that he is a unique talent which will set Spain on fire, as he did in England, when he reaches his maximum level.

The medical staff highlighted his very low level of body fat and his athletic build. He is a powerful and quick player, who has the ability to accelerate faster than the rest. His features are similar to those of Cristiano Ronaldo, as the pair are both professional athletes who, besides the genetic component, look after their bodies extremely well.

The physical training done by Bale as a child is the basis of his success. As a boy he attended a high-performance school in Cardiff and has managed to adapt his physical characteristics to his talent.

The Welshman has not wasted any time during the two-month negotiation saga. He has performed intense aerobic training and only needs to recover his match fitness.

Dad knows best?

Mesut Özil will be wondering if he has taken the right decision and if his choice to leave his dream club was a hasty one. The midfielder was adored by the fans and had a strong bond with his teammates, as the happiest days of his career were at Real: "My life is perfect at Madrid", he told MARCA almost a year ago.

Father's ambition
The process of Özil's departure from Real Madrid began at the end of last season. Özil and his father asked for a contract extension to 2019 and €7 million after tax per season. But the club made its intentions clear: "Now is not the time".

The player's father was very upset when he left the offices at the Bernabéu and began to put feelers in the market with the aim of pressuring Madrid with worldwide bids. At the same time, he constantly told his son that the club did not value him and that he should think about changing teams. Thanks to his father's insistence, the player began to believe what he was told.

"He loved Real Madrid, but they have done his head in", said a person who has accompanied the player throughout his career. "He doesn´t know what he has done yet, but in a few weeks he'll realise what a mistake he's made. I hope I'm wrong, but his father may have put a finish to his career with this decision. He was going to be a legend in Madrid, but we'll see what happens when he is training in the rain at Arsenal with lower-level players"

Mourinho: "Özil is unique. He's the best no. 10 in the world"

The former Real Madrid manager José Mourinho, now in charge of Chelsea, talked about Mesut Özil's departure from his old club: "Özil is unique. There is no copy of him – not even a bad one. He is the best number 10 in the world."

The Portuguese gaffer praised the German's form during his time at Real. "He made things very easy for me and for his teammates with his football vision and the decisions he made," he assured, arguing that it was a mistake to let him go.

"Everyone loves him and sees a bit of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane in him," he raved. Özil's move to Arsenal is bad news for Mourinho, given that the North London club is one of Chelsea's direct rivals. "We didn’t accept Arsenal’s offer for Demba Ba because the signing of Özil makes them title contenders," he went on to say.

Kaká to fly to Madrid to thank Florentino Pérez

As soon as Kaká's return to Milan had been made official on Monday, the Brazilian called up Florentino Pérez to thank the Real Madrid president.

Indeed, the former 'Los Blancos' forward feels so indebted to Florentino for making his move back to the 'Rossoneri' possible that he plans to return to Madrid to say goodbye in person.

Kaká knows that he was part of Carlo Ancelotti and Pérez's plans for the season and that the pair hadn't lost hope of him recapturing his old form in Madrid.

However, the Brazilian forced the club's hand by coming out and expressing his desire to leave after last Thursday's Teresa Herrera Trophy clash with Deportivo La Coruña. Aware that he put the 'Los Blancos' supremo in an awkward position by speaking out, now he wishes to show his appreciation to Florentino for agreeing the quick-fire deal allowing him to go back to Milan.

Fellaini has moved to Manchester United

Everton have agreed deals which will see three new faces arrive at Goodison Park, with two players departing the Blues. Marouane Fellaini has moved to Manchester United for a £27.5m fee, with Victor Anichebe heading to West Brom for a fee which could rise to £6m.

Coming into Goodison are James McCarthy for £13m on a long term deal and a pair of season long loan deals for Romelu Lukaku and Gareth Barry.

Two pairs of aces

Real Madrid will complete a dream forward line with the signing of Bale, who will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo. There is only one other duo in the BBVA League to rival them, and that is composed of Messi and Neymar. They will get their chance to measure up in the first 'clásico' of the season, which will be on 27th October in the tenth round of fixtures.

Bale has a striking physique. His speed and long stride are his main weapons for breaking down opposing defences. What is more, he has a very powerful shot both from dead-ball situations and while on the run. This player profile coincides perfectly with Cristiano Ronaldo's. He is another player who makes his strength his best feature. Whether kicking the ball or dribbling past an opponent, his build gives him the better hand in nearly all plays to get the ball, and he normally comes out of them the winner.

So the prospect of two players like this playing on the wings means that Real Madrid's attacking options are greatly increased. Both players can use either foot to find depth inside, or open up the field to create passing moves and break down opposing defences.

Also, Bale can function as a second-line attacker on the wings providing an element of surprise, and Cristiano Ronaldo can spearhead the forward line. Ancelotti must be rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect of lining the two of them up together. If the Bale-Ronaldo pairing has its plus factors, then so does the Neymar-Messi combination.

Messi's game is based on dribbling, and total accuracy when it comes to shooting. When he gets the ball near goal his one thought is that it has to end up in the net, and when he is in the area he is usually infallible.

Neymar is blessed with prodigious techniques developed in Brazil. He is the same kind of player that, in their day, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Romario were. A fantastic ball-player, he has a great capacity to leave defenders helpless in his wake, getting into the area and putting the ball in the back of the net. He has everything he needs to triumph barring one thing - he has yet to play in Europe. Even so, he has all the qualities for adaptation and be part of an attacking line-up alongside Messi which could epitomise a whole footballing era at the Catalan club

€172m spent on youth

Florentino is sparing no expense this season. Clear out and start over. Real Madrid has not only replaced its coach, but several players too. Real's new arrivals are young and have enormous potential, but in order to sign them, the club's president had to fork out an enormous sum of money: €172.5m (€91m for Bale, €39m for Illarramendi, €30m for Isco, €6.5m for Carvajal and €6m for Casemiro).

There is a huge difference in Real Madrid's transfer policy this season when compared with that of recent years. Florentino Pérez decided to scour the Spanish market, where he found Isco, signed from Malaga for €30m, and Illarramendi, brought in from Real Sociedad for €39m.

The 2013-2014 Madrid will have a heavy academy presence. Players like Jesé, Morata and Nacho will all have their chance. As will Carvajal, another of Real's academy graduates. The right-back cut his teeth for a year at Bayer Leverkusen before Madrid re-signed him for €6.5m. The club also had to pay for Casemiro, a midfielder who was loaned out to Castilla and signed by Madrid from Sao Paulo for €6m.

The big-name summer signing the whole world had been waiting for came right at the death. The Real president outdid himself in signing Gareth Bale. He paid €91m for the Welshman, a transfer fee only surpassed by the €96m paid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

AC Milan make Kaká's return official

Kaká's time at Real Madrid reached its end today after an agreement was reached with AC Milan, making his return official. The Brazilian player thus leaves Madrid, where he arrived four seasons ago and where his stay has not exactly been crowned with glory.

According to La Gazzetta, Kaká will get €4 million net plus a bonus for each of the two seasons he has signed for. Kaká will have a medical and then sign up with Milan.

Kaká makes the return journey he started in July 2009, from Milan, where he won the Balon d'Or which led him to arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu with insurmountable expectations, for a fee of €67 million.

So Real Madrid and AC Milan yesterday reached an agreement by which the player goes back to the place which was his home for six years. Milan president Adriano Lombardi confirmed this as he left the offices of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, where he had spent the afternoon negotiating for the player.

Kaká's time at Madrid has been marked by a series of highs and lows, both physical and sporting. he never quite managed to establish himself in the first team, and his continual injuries prevented him from showing off his skills to the full.

With the arrival of Ancelotti, many people foresaw an upsurge in Kaká's fortunes, but not being chosen to play has made him decide to go back to Milan, and start off a new stage of his career there.

Bale: "Cristiano Ronaldo is the boss"

Gareth Bale set foot on the Santiago Bernabeu turf for the first time in a Real Madrid shirt. Following the ceremony in which he was unveiled as Real Madrid player in the Directors' Box, the Welshman changed into his new kit, bearing the number 11.

Then he went out onto the turf, where he posed for the media and even took shots at goal. More than 20000 Real Madrid fans were in attendance to welcome him. The player returned the affection they showed him by kicking footballs into the stands.

Gareth Bale said that he's very pleased to have signed for Real Madrid. He spoke in Spanish: "It's my dream to play for Real Madrid, thank you for this welcome. Hala Madrid!" Around 20,000 'madridistas' celebrated the show.

After that, he offered his first press conference as a Real Madrid player. "I would have come here for a penny, for whatever", Bale said. "The transfer fee is not something that affects me. It's something between Madrid and Spurs. It only brings extra pressure if I want it to".

Gareth Bale added that the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid was one of the reasons why he signed for Real. "For me Cristiano Ronaldo is the boss, the best player in the world," Bale pointed. "It will be an honour to play alongside him".

"I want to win the Champions League with Real. The biggest pressure here is to help Madrid win trophies. I want to win silverware here and help the club win the Champions League," he stressed.