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Notes & Quotes: May 9, 2020; Open Thread

Emery talks on Mbappe at Madrid, Camavinga rumors and Arbeloa says Real are better than Barcelona

Arsenal Legends v Real Madrid Legends Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Emery says Mbappe could define an era at Real Madrid

Former PSG and Arsenal manager Unai Emery recently spoke with AS (via Goal) about Kylian Mbappe, who Emery previously coached at PSG. He was asked about what Mbappe could do at Madrid should he join in the future.

“Of course he has the ability to mark an era in Madrid.”

“Look, surely there will be things from PSG that fill you up and maybe some will not, and there may be Real Madrid.”

“We are lucky to have and export the two best teams in the world, which are Real Madrid and Barcelona and I would like them to continue having the best players in the world.”

Emery is surely correct that Mbappe could be a generational talent for a club like Real Madrid. At just 21 years old, he already has three Ligue 1 titles and a World Cup. He has the potential to become even greater as his career moves forward.

It seems the writing is on the wall with Mbappe joining Real Madrid at some point in the next couple of seasons. He would clearly be one of the biggest signings the club has had since Cristiano Ronaldo joined from Manchester United.

More Camavinga rumors being reported

According to a new report from MARCA, Eduardo Camavinga would’ve already been signed by Real Madrid had the coronavirus epidemic not broken out.

The report says that top football clubs could lose around €200 million, which of course affects transfer budgets. MARCA also claim that Camavinga and Erling Haaland have been the club’s primary targets since February.

It says that Real Madrid believe they can still sign Camavinga this transfer period, but they also know they have to clear some of the contracts out in order to do so.

The Camavinga rumors have been around for a while now. He has had a breakout season at Rennes this season and he’s still only 17. There’s a lot of potential for him to be a fixture in midfield for clubs as he matures his game further.

As MARCA’s report says, Camavinga would be an ideal replacement in the future for Casemiro should Real land him this window. There’s plenty of unknowns still with Real Madrid, including the continuation of the LaLiga season.

Arbeloa says Real Madrid are “clearly better” than Barcelona

Former Real Madrid fullback Alvaro Arbeloa spoke with Spanish cyclist Valentí Sanjuan on YouTube (via Goal) where he attempted to settle the argument of which club is better between Real and Barcelona.

“Madrid are clearly better than Barcelona because it’s a results business and they’ve been excellent.”

“It’s difficult to win the Champions League without being the best, but to win three in a row or four in five years, you have to be really good and know how to perform in key moments.”

“What [Zidane] has done, I don’t know when we’ll see something like it again.”

Well there you have it, Arbeloa has settled the debate once and for all. In all seriousness, though, Arbeloa is pretty spot on with his comments. At least in terms of European success, Real Madrid has done what many other top clubs only dream of, including Barcelona.

The past few seasons have seen Barcelona upset in the Champions League by massive comebacks from both Liverpool and Roma. Even with the LaLiga success, there’s still a very clear desire from Messi and company for their first Champions League trophy since 2015.

Real winning three titles in a row is impressive enough, but having won 4 in 5 years is simply unprecedented as well. And he’s absolutely right that Zidane has accomplished the unthinkable while managing this club.

Sanjuan’s video with Arbeloa lasted just over 50 minutes and the whole discussion should be quite interesting for Madridistas. You can watch the full talk on Sanjuan’s YouTube channel. It’s in Spanish, but subtitles are available in many different languages to translate.

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