Paper Round: Gareth Bale to sign £350k-a-week Real Madrid deal despite Manchester United interest

Gareth Bale is on the verge of signing an incredibly lucrative new contract at Real Madrid, according to AS. Bale has been regularly linked with a return to the Premier League, with Manchester United the most frequently suggested destination, but Real are reportedly happy with the player's progression and are ready to tie him down to a six-year deal. The Wales international's performances at Euro 2016 are also said to have been impressed the Madrid hierarchy, who are hoping for Bale to continue his impressive development at the club by offering him a staggering €417,000 a week.

Paper Round's view: There's a lot of money in football and some of that goes into the players' pockets. Yes, the figures are obscene, but it's the reality of the business of football. The real question here is: are Real Madrid right to pin their hopes on Bale? And if his development during his time at the club is anything to go by, then the answer really should be 'yes'.

Bale has turned into an astonishing footballer, much more tactically nuanced than the explosive game-changer that arrived at the Bernabeu from Tottenham. These days he has virtually everything in his locker, even the movement and vision that initially seemed beyond him in La Liga. It's a blow for Manchester United and other potential suitors to learn that Bale will now cost a small fortune to tempt away from such a lucrative and lengthy deal, but staying in Madrid is the right decision for the player and the right decision for his club.

Sam Allardyce has revealed that there might have been more to England's late winner against Slovakia than simply a cross by Danny Rose and a finish by Adam Lallana - reports the Daily Mail. The new England boss told reporters after the game that he had been given a "lucky coin" by a young Slovakian boy prior to the game, which will now come along with him on England's road to Russia.

Paper Round's view: "I'm not superstitious," says Big Sam, before coming out with something that sounds suspiciously like superstition. It's a nice line and a nice story, but then that's kind of the point, isn't it? Allardyce recounted his tale of the "lucky coin" shortly after seeing his new team limp to a thoroughly unconvincing win over a side they really should have beaten. So he really needed a distraction, and that's what he's created, with many of the papers falling hook, line and sinker for his headline bait (Paper Round included).

Unfortunately, the real truth is that Allardyce's selection for the game was flawed, his team appear to have little chance of solving their issues from the Euro disaster, and the future of the England national team is far from bright. On second thoughts... what was that story again, Sam?

The continued use of Wayne Rooney as a midfielder is wrong for the player and bad for the England team - according to The Times. The England captain was supposed to be playing as a No. 10 against Slovakia on Sunday night, but he repeatedly drifted deeper in the game and ended up playing more as a central midfielder than a forward. However, Allardyce caused concern with his post-game comments that Rooney could play "wherever he wanted to" and that he "can't stop Wayne playing there" when asked about the unexpected midfield move for his skipper. Allardyce later explained his thinking, by revealing that the reality of Rooney's playing position hadn't been the plan for the game, although that is almost as much cause for concern.

Paper Round's view: Wayne Rooney should not be England captain. That's the crux of the problem. He's an excellent player in admittedly improved form, but by making him captain Allardyce has created a rod for his own back. Rooney in midfield doesn't work, we know that, no matter how much he likes to drop deep and dictate play against defensive opponents.

But, by having Rooney as a nominative No. 10 it also means that Dele Alli cannot play in his preferred position and that the nation's best striker, Harry Kane, will inevitably be left more isolated than he should be. Then throw into the mix that Big Sam would have to either take off his captain or shoehorn players into unnatural positions to get more than one of Kane, Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy onto the pitch and it becomes increasingly apparent why making Rooney captain was such a terrible idea.

Paucity of alternatives is not an acceptable excuse for Allardyce either. He's England manager now – his job is to find solutions to these tough selection dilemmas. Unfortunately, he doesn't appear to be capable of making those difficult decisions and that's not good enough if he expects to turn around a team in such a state.