Open Thread: June 2, 2021

The Open Thread/Daily Merengue is a place where you can discuss anything and everything related to football. Feel free to discuss the topics presented here, or start your very own discussions! The Open thread will be posted every day by one of the mods: Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, YoSnail, Ezek Ix or NeRObutBlanco.

Today’s thread is a special Juninho edition!

We have a new coach!

Less than 1 week after Zidane announce his resignation, Real Madrid appointed his new coach. Welcome back, Don Carlo! Carlo also have a former player as one of his assistants:

Several rumours about players

• Lucaz Vazquez has renewed his contract until 2024;
• Ramos is leaving. The club has taken the offer off the table;
• Ramos called the squad players telling them not to accept the paycuts, as the money only would go to Mbappé’s signing;
• Ramos’ departure will be loud and violent;
• Varane won’t renew his contract. Real accept an offer between €35-40 million;
• Seven player will this summer, but Bale, Hazard and Marcelo are expected to stay;
• There will be only one big signing this summer.

Why Managing Madrid needs to be more excited about Luis Campos

A letter by Juninho

The Galactico Era as we know it is dead. Let me repeat: The Galactico Era is dead.

In a La Liga world terrorized by a global pandemic, EPL broadcasting rights, sovereign wealth funds financing sporting projects, N!nja_kachoRI’s Benzema analysis and Ed Woodward spending $97m on Harry Maguire, Real Madrid cannot buy every illustrious superstar who happens to have a fantastic World Cup campaign. Without diving into the specifics of Real’s financial capacity, trust me when I say that you should not expect a transfer window like 2009 ever again. It is inefficient and arguably illogical to spend upwards of 100m on a single player, which may immediately depreciate due to injuries or other unforeseen events (i.e., Eden Hazard).

Therefore, Real Madrid needs an alternative approach. Real Madrid needs to develop a sporting project rather than the decade-long collection of brilliant individual talents who happen to mesh under a brilliant coach. And I’m here to tell you that this project could be led by Luis Campos.

Luis Campos is a renowned sporting director with extensive knowledge on team development and potentially one of the best scouting networks in football. He initially worked as a scout for José Mourinho during his three-year tenure at Madrid and has since rebuilt Monaco and Lille. In the third year of each of his sporting director stints, Luis Campos’ Monaco and Lille both won Ligue 1, despite having a fraction of PSG’s spending budget. His CV speaks for itself.

So now take a deep breath and imagine what he may be able to do here. Imagine Luis Campos with our financial backing, additional scouts, La Fabrica, and the Real Madrid brand. The possibilities could be limitless. We could avoid buying different versions of the same Brazilian left winger. We could loan Kubo/Reiner to worthwhile La Liga teams. We may raise further profits from selling young talents who aren’t quite Real Madrid quality, and potentially stop watching our greatest young talents succeed at other clubs (e.g., Theo Hernandez, Marcos Llorente, Mateo Kovacic, etc.). Additionally, the revolving door of our managerial appointments should not hinder the club’s long-term goals. One master chef will buy the groceries and ensure that they are cooked into a Michelin Star four-course meal.

Now I understand your hesitation. Will Perez give Campos the time and power to build this project? I do not know. Will the fans be patient throughout this process? I do not know. Will we stop buying any Galacticos? Doubtful. Will Campos be successful? I do not know.

However, for the first time in nearly a decade, Real Madrid may allow a true football mind to build the next era.

The most valuable brand in football may yet again become a Club De Futbol.

Sincerely,

Juninho.