FanPost

Unpopular opinion: Real Madrid only need a world class center back, a backup defensive midfielder and maybe another potentially world class center back

Many Real Madrid supporters are overjoyed with the very bright future Florentino Pérez is trying to create for the club by bringing young, talented and (fingers crossed, also) world class players who will bring big titles and beautiful football for worldwide Madridismo. There is even a sense of overstacking young talent, especially attacking talent: Vinícius, Rodrygo, Jovic, Brahim Diaz, Kubo, Ødegaard and Reinier. When you take into account that Hazard is at the club, and also the now senior player Asensio, there are very limited if any chances for the young attacking minded players. In defense we are equipped with Éder Militão and have Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilón with contractual buy-back clauses (for Hakimi we have the option to match any offer made for him from another club and for Reguilón we have a buy-back clause with a fixed amount of around €40m). Militão is definitely a quality center back who just needs to build up confidence with more minutes. That can be achieved through the right back role (he isn’t getting much chances at center back with the pedigree of Varane and Ramos), because Zidane doesn’t swear in Odriozola, and Carvajal will need a rest at various points throughout the season. The question surrounding the full-backs from La Fábrica is whether Real Madrid will be in the right place financially, with the case od Covid-19 and the expensive remodelling of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. What seems to be clear is that the people in charge of Real Madrid don’t have a singular doubt concerning Sergio and Achraf. The things stated above practically mean that we have a CB, RB and LB for the near and distant future, with Varane, Ramos and Nacho still in the picture (the last three only for the near future). From the young attacking talents only Jovic seems to be written off by Zidane with the coach apparently wanting him to leave the club this January on a loan. Brahim Diaz is an attacking midfielder by vocation but he can play the left and right winger positions with equal effect. He is ambidextrous to the fullest extent meaning he can play equally well with both feet. Rodrygo is a great goalscorer and crosser from the right wing position, while Vinícius is an astute dribbler whose unpredictability is his main strength, but needs to work on his finishing. Kubo showed great capability while playing for Mallorca, but hasn’t been given a chance in Villarreal. Maybe the second part of the 2020/2021 season will be great for him, and the hopes are high for him in a Getafe shirt. Maybe this loan will convince Zidane to include him in the roster for the 2021/2022 season. Reinier is a great potential, but for his capabilities the surface still hasn’t been scratched because he has very rarely played. Maybe under the new coach, in the next season and a half he will show the world why Real invested in him. Federico Valverde is an exceptional center midfielder who can do almost if not everything on a football pitch. He is the embodiment of the great future in Real Madrid.

As for the gaps in the squad, the most obvious ones are the defensive midfielder and center forward positions. And in addition, the center back position if Ramos and Nacho leave in the same transfer window. Eduardo Camavinga is the club’s preferred choice, but he is slowly transitioning into a center midfielder because of his ball retention, carriage, dribbling skills, footballing vision and the presently latent but more and more revealing talent to attack the opposition goal. If Camavinga definitely transitions into a center midfielder, the clubs eyes are likely to be turned to Boubakary Soumaré or even N’Golo Kanté. For the center forward position the main targets are Haaland and Mbappé. Haaland is an out and out striker who has massive speed in his sprits, is 6 foot and 4 inches- tall, and is a statistical superpower when it comes to frequently scoring goals. Mbappé is a very versatile attacker who can play all the positions in attack at an equal world class level. He is hungry for goals, pacey, likes to give out assists and like Haaland, is a mentality monster who craves success. If both Haaland and Mbappé come in the same or different transfer windows, the general feeling is they will complement each other more than create a frustration because of a fight for the center forward position. As for the center back position, Real have two targets in their mind: Pau Torres and Dayot Upamecano. Both would make the team better if they come to replace Ramos and Nacho at some point in time, and also provide competition to Varane and Militão. It is very important to note that Real Madrid have been in a transitional period ever since Ronaldo left, and of course due to the fact that the main soldiers of the club have become senior players with the age of 33 for Marcelo (in May, 2021) and Benzema, 35 for Modric, 35 for Ramos (in March, 2021) and 31 for Kroos. Lucas Vázquez can be added to the group, because he turns 30 in July, 2021 and is not content with the deal he has been offered for the extension of his contract. Isco is very close to the exit doors because he turns 29 in May and is very unsatisfied with his minutes. All in all, Pérez will likely manage this situation like the fine blend of businessman and sportsman he is and launch the club to even bigger heights.

#HalaMadrid