Óscar Rodríguez renews his contract with Real Madrid!

Óscar Rodríguez has signed a new five year deal with Real Madrid, keeping him at the club until at least 2023. The 20 year old’s current deal was set to expire this summer and without intervention, Óscar would have been free to sign for another club. He is now expected to continue with Castilla for at least another season. He also announced that Rene Ramos, the brother of Sergio, will be his new agent.

This news will finally put rumours linking Rodríguez with a move away from Madrid to bed. Manchester City have been mentioned to be interested in the past, as well as rivals Barcelona. Óscar has just completed his first professional season, after a stellar academy career - but things haven’t gone as smoothly as planned for the former Spanish youth international. Whilst he was on hand to provide multiple moments of magic throughout the campaign, on the whole his season was mediorcre at best. Although he is currently a long way off of the level required to fight for a first team place, he certainly has the potential to do so in the future, and time is on his side. This signing could prove to be a very important one indeed.

It is also very encouraging to see some of the early moves that new manager Julen Lopetegui has made. The Cristiano Ronaldo era is over, and many managers would enter panic mode and immediately head straight for the transfer market in this situation. Whilst the ex-Castilla boss is certain to do just that in order to shape his squad for next season, some of his primary decisions have followed the clubs recent policy of investing in youth. Óscar’s new deal being approved is merely the latest of mulitple developments involving a young player at the club. In form academy graduate Raúl de Tomás was handed a new first team deal, before youngsters Andriy Lunin and Álvaro Odriozola were brought in. It’s reassuring to know that the club is in safe hands. Perhaps the assembly of some of the best young players in the world, and the immense squad depth that Real Madrid has worked so hard to build is all about to pay off.