August 31 has come and gone, and some soccer players are breathing sighs of relief, while others are left to fume until at least January 1st. 

No one can be fuming more than Real Madrid pair Isco and James Rodriguez. Once darlings at the Bernabeu, the gargantuan stadium has turned into the largest prison cell for the two as they have relegated to the bench. Isco had been linked with a move away from Madrid, with Tottenham Hotspur supposedly swooping in in the last week or so of the transfer window for an offer to take him on loan.

Alas however, it was not to be, as Isco reportedly rejected that deal and another that would have taken him back to his hometown club, Málaga. And now he still finds himself glued to Zinedine Zidane's bench.

Former Real Madrid player and Argentine international Ezequiel Garay returns to Spain after spending the past two years in Russia at Zenit St. Petersburg, signing with Valencia CF. Garay will be joined by Barcelona starlet Munir El Haddadi, who looks to prove everyone right and deliver on the potential the entire soccer world has been preaching about.

Staying with the on loan theme, Europa League champions Sevilla were able to swoop in and get Frenchman Samir Nasri to the Sánchez Pizjuan. Nasri has been largely a disappointment at his home club Manchester City since he came over from Arsenal in a 25 million GBP deal. Injuries are mostly the culprit, and he only appeared in eight matches last campaign. True to the trend, Nasri has already picked up a thigh injury and is in doubt for his debut this upcoming weekend.

With the summer transfer window closed, not enough can be said about the lack of spending on the part of Real Madrid. They spent the least amount on transfers in a summer since 2003, when David Beckham was their only signing for 35 million EUR. 

Finally it seems club president Florentino Perez has learned the value of continuity, especially after a season which saw them win the Champions League after being written off for any trophies by the end of February.

What's more, there seems to be some semblance of encouraging future talent. With Cristiano Ronaldo approaching 32, Gareth Bale waits in the wings to take on his mantle. 23-year-old Rafa Varane should hold the other center back role down now that Pepe has finally started to show his age, and Marco Asensio is looking like the next great Spanish midfielder, albeit that he's only 20 years old.

Things are looking bright in Europe's sunniest capital.

Photo: Flickr/Nazionale Calcio