Real Madrid News
Florentino Perez hints at Real Madrid’s first transfer of the summer though social media post
Enrique Riquelme has been very active in his electoral campaign in the run up to Real Madrid’s presidential elections, and every media release from his side has been with purpose.
Earlier today, he made a massive announcement that Rodri was one of his marquee signings if elected as the Real Madrid president – a massive update at a time when the club is clearly struggling in the department.
Florentino Perez has not made any similar declarations on the signings he proposes, but his official social media update earlier today provided a massive hint.
The Paz option
Earlier today, Perez released a video titled ‘Many dreams fulfilled, and many to be fulfilled’ on the official X page via OkDiario of his election campaign, and in it were snapshots of the careers of several players who have come up through the academy ranks over the years.
Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Lucas Vázquez, Alvaro Carreras, Gonzalo Garcia, Alvaro Arbeloa, Thiago Pitarch, Federico Valverde and Raul Asencio all featured on the clip, but one other player who showed up on the video was Nico Paz.
Needless to say, Perez, including the Argentine star on the video, could well be a subtle hint that he has the Como star in his plans for next season and that the idea of bringing him home is indeed on course to be completed.
A ‘done’ deal
As relayed earlier this week, Florentino Perez is a massive fan of Paz’s progress under Cesc Fabregas and sees him as a potent option to reinforce Real Madrid’s midfield.
The club have a €9 million option to buy the Argentine star back and have every intention of triggering it come what may. After all, he is seen as a high-quality option available at a bargain price for Los Blancos.
In fact, word has it that the transfer of Paz back to Real Madrid is already a done deal and that it will be announced as soon as Perez is announced as the president of the club for another term.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
