Almeria

Vinicius has contributed 18 goal involvements (10 goals, eight assists) during another fine campaign in LaLiga, but the Brazilian has repeatedly received harsh treatment from opposing defenders.

The winger was the centre of attention once again during Tuesday's 4-2 defeat at Girona, being booked for his furious reaction after Santiago Bueno aggressively kicked the ball against him.

Vinicius has drawn 113 fouls in LaLiga this season, comfortably the highest tally in the competition – Rayo Vallecano's Isi Palazon is second with 87.

Vinicius has also been targeted by racist chants from opposing supporters on multiple occasions this term, causing LaLiga to release several statements in support of the 22-year-old.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's fixture against Almeria, Ancelotti repeated his calls for Vinicius to receive more protection on and off the pitch, saying: "He's a player that dribbles one-on-one. In order to stop these players, people stop them with fouls.

"We are concerned for our player, and the only way to preserve these players is justice. Only this can prevent injuries from happening.

"It's true that Vinicius suffers a lot of nasty tackles. In the past there were other players, like Diego Maradona and Pele, who also suffered a lot from these challenges.

"We have been very lucky that Vinicius has a strong physique and is capable of enduring them. He has not had any injuries.

"There are two topics – one inside the pitch and one outside the pitch. One of them, on the outside, is bad for society. A modern society cannot be like that."

With Madrid trailing Barcelona by 11 points at the top of LaLiga, some have suggested Ancelotti's own future could be dictated by his team's ability to defend their Champions League crown.

Ancelotti has previously expressed a desire to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu until the expiration of his contract in 2024, and the Italian repeated that intention on Friday.

Asked whether he needed to lead Madrid to a 15th European Cup/Champions League title to keep his job, Ancelotti said: "That is not so. 

"My future is already written, I'll stay until 2024. After that, I don't know."

La Real sold star striker Isak to Newcastle United last Friday in a club-record €70million deal.

That move happened quickly, with Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay confirming the club had expected to keep Isak in this window as recently as the previous weekend.

"It has been a difficult week," he said, presenting Sadiq as a Sociedad player after his signing from Almeria was secured on Thursday.

"It's been a summer full of rumours. When a player's [Isak's] agent tells you on a Monday at 10pm that he's coming to San Sebastian with a club the next day, the first thing you think of is that they have an agreement between them.

"We had a week left and we thought about Real Sociedad; it was not the time to discuss too much but to take action."

He added: "On Sunday, we didn't think that Alex was going to leave; on Monday, we started the talks [with Newcastle]; on Tuesday, we concluded them; and on Wednesday, we started working on the signings."

Fortunately, La Real had a plan, having first fielded interest from Newcastle in Isak earlier in the window.

"We thought we were going to sign two players, which is what we had thought of in June," Aperribay said. "We thought of Sorloth on loan and Sadiq to replace Isak.

"We started those conversations, first with Leipzig and then with Almeria."

Sorloth, who had spent last season on loan at Sociedad, scoring four LaLiga goals alongside Isak, quickly returned on another temporary deal.

But the €20m move for Sadiq took a little more time, concluded after "an intense 48 hours".

Now, though, Imanol's side are in a position of strength, having made a huge profit on Isak while bringing in a player in Sadiq who scored 38 goals across two seasons in the second tier with Almeria and has already added two in three games in LaLiga this term.

His signing was crucial, as fellow attackers Carlos Fernandez and Mikel Oyarzabal remain out injured.

"We had to be aware that when you come out of an injury you don't go from nought to 100," Aperribay said. "We have to support the youngsters and be patient with Carlos and Oyarzabal. That's how we approach the season."

He added: "Sadiq was the first on the list. We knew that with Isak we had a risk that became a reality last week, and we have acted as planned."