"Alonso is not a fad, there are just not many alternatives - not in the Americas or in Europe are their players who can perform his task.
"They stalled, from day one - the demands of Liverpool were beyond what Madrid was willing to pay and that is very difficult to understand.
"That is not the way to get things done, but I have not given up hope we can solve this.
"On Arbeloa, that is an option which - for the time being - has come to nothing. Liverpool do not really have the desire to let him go, even though he has just a year left on his contract.
"But there is a month to go in the market and anything can change and I would not deny that we would very much like to have Arbeloa."