Real Madrid News
Ancelotti has promised Real Madrid midfielder he will get more minutes next season
According to a report from AS, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has promised Dani Ceballos that he will get more minutes in the upcoming campaign.
Ceballos was close to leaving Real Madrid this summer with his contract expiring on June 30. However, the 26-year-old opted to renew his deal and sign a new four-year contract with Los Blancos, committing his future until 2027.
One of the major concerns for the midfielder before signing a new contract was his role in the team. Ceballos had found regular game-time hard to come by in the last two seasons with the Merengues.
Even though he played in more than 40 games this past campaign, only 19 of them were starts in La Liga. He was behind Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, and Eduardo Camavinga in the pecking order at the club.
Now, big-money signing Jude Bellingham is also likely to slot in ahead of Ceballos, so concerns about his game-time are not unfounded. However, Ancelotti is understood to have promised him more minutes ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Given Kroos and Modric’s age, there is a chance that they will be used more judiciously by the manager, which should pave the way for Ceballos to gain more prominence in the team.
However, at the same time, the Spanish international’s entourage is not ruling out a loan exit from Real Madrid for the 2023/24 season. After all, Ceballos’ aim is to make it to the Spanish national team for the UEFA Euro 2024.
A spell away on loan before returning next year, when both Kroos and Modric might have potentially moved on, would certainly guarantee an increased role in the team for Ceballos.
In a major update, AS reports that former Real Madrid midfielder and club legend Toni Kroos has taken his first step towards starting his coaching career.
The former Germany international has told the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that he is interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers.
Real Madrid tried to bring Kroos back
It is no secret that Real Madrid considered bringing Toni Kroos back into the club’s structure after the end of the last season.
The club president, Florentino Perez, had wanted Kroos to have a daily presence at Valdebebas rather than making occasional appearances after his retirement.
Jose Angel Sanchez and Kroos spoke after Perez expressed his desire to see the German working at Valdebebas every day. However, they did not find the right moment, time or structure to give his return a clear form.
A comeback remains one of the possibilities most desired by Madrid supporters because of Kroos’ charisma and what he represents at the Santiago Bernabeu. Neither side wanted him to return simply for the sake of it, so the door remains open for the future.
The relationship between the two parties is excellent, and both know that the opportunity to work together again will eventually come.
Taking it step by step
For now, Kroos continues to run the academy he established in Boadilla, enjoying the opportunity to help develop younger players.
After two years away from the competitive side of football, however, he is beginning to look towards the dugout as a possible next step in his career.
Kroos currently holds coaching qualifications that allow him to work up to the third tier of Spanish football.
This is possible because professionals with at least seven years of proven experience and significant involvement at the elite level can gain direct access to accelerated coaching courses.
That means Kroos could coach a team in Primera Federacion, but the German wants to take things gradually.
Kroos has already informed the RFEF that he would be interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers during the 2027/28 season.
The course taking place this season is not available to elite former players, with UEFA limiting each campaign to 20 places.
With his current qualifications, Kroos could work as an assistant coach, but he cannot yet take charge as a head coach in either the top flight or the Segunda División.
But completing that programme would allow Kroos to obtain the UEFA A licence, which would enable him to coach teams at any level.
