Villarreal veteran Robert Pires is confident fellow Frenchman Lassana Diarra can make a big impact at Real Madrid.

Pires said of the former Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder: "Lass is a player who will be very welcome at Madrid and I am sure he will do very well there.

"At present, Madrid is not in a great moment and as a player Lassana can bring some calm. He is the ideal player to give Madrid the balance they are looking for. I hope he has a great career there, he's now with one of the best clubs in the world."