Real Madrid News
Forgotten Real Madrid star’s move to former club collapses due to financial reasons
Real Madrid may come out of the 2022 summer transfer window as a stronger and well-balanced side, but the window has not been successful on all fronts.
Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Casemiro, Luka Jovic, Isco and Borja Mayoral are few of the players Los Blancos parted ways with this summer. Yet, the fact remains that the club could not part ways with some of the deadwood in the squad.
Jesus Vallejo, Dani Ceballos and Mariano are players whose departure never seemed to be a possibility despite their minimal contribution to the team. Further, there is the case of Alvaro Odriozola who looked set to leave but is now closer to staying.
According to reports from AS, the out-of-favour right-back will not return to his former club Real Sociedad, even though talks were held between them and Real Madrid over a possible transfer.
Though the player wanted to return, the high price of the deal pushed the Basque side away from negotiations.
La Real have plenty of cash to spend after Alexander Isak’s €70 million move to the Premier League. However, there is the added aspect of Odriozola’s wages which are high for them to cover.
The player is surplus to requirement at Real Madrid, given that the club already have Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez covering the right-back position. It is understood that he will have hardly any game-time under his belt if he stays at the club.
Last season, Odriozola played for Serie A side Fiorentina on loan. In his season-long spell in Italy, he scored one goal and provided one assist. Defensively, he was sub-par and averaged just under four actions per game.
Villarreal have been linked with Odriozola in recent hours, and it remains to be seen if any deadline day drama awaits the Spanish international’s future.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
