Real Madrid News
Former Barcelona midfielder emerges as a managerial candidate for Real Madrid – report
Despite Alvaro Arbeloa being at the helm at Real Madrid and the club openly projecting an image of support towards the current manager, the rumours linking them to new targets simply do not stop.
Earlier this week, it came to light that Mauricio Pochettino had emerged as a new managerial target for Los Blancos, beyond the usual list of suspects including Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane and Massimiliano Allegri.
Now, however, Jorge C Picon brings to light a surprising new name to the table.
Cesc Fabregas an option for Real Madrid
Indeed, as relayed by the Spanish journalist, it is none other than Cesc Fabregas who has now emerged as a target for Real Madrid.
The former Barcelona midfielder and current Como manager is reportedly one of the profiles liked the most by the Real Madrid board and they see massive potential in him despite his relatively short coaching career.
Real Madrid have already enquired about his way of working and his principles to evaluate if he is the right fit for them, especially given that he is in that stage of his career where a step up to Europe’s elite is not far off.
His evolution at Como is being closely followed, and Real Madrid like what they have seen so far. They will continue to monitor him in the coming months until the summer.
Notably, it is under Fabregas’ tutelage that Real Madrid starlets including Nico Paz and Jacobo Ramon have grown in prominence and attracted interest from Real Madrid to execute buy-back options.
The only downside in his hiring, however, is how close Fabregas’ profile and ideologies are to those of Xabi Alonso, which did not go down too well with the current Real Madrid locker room, leading to his sacking in January.
One of the biggest positives for Real Madrid from the last season was the breakthrough of young midfielder Thiago Pitarch.
The 19-year-old La Fabrica prospect had been in the first-team dynamics since pre-season under Xabi Alonso, but finally got his senior debut under Alvaro Arbeloa at the turn of the year.
From that moment on, Pitarch did not look back at all, gaining prominence in the team and even starting important matches ahead of established players like Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos.
However, things have not gone as per plans for the teenager this season as he has yet to play a single minute of first-team football.
January loan no longer ruled out
As such, Diario AS now reports that Pitarch would consider leaving Real Madrid on loan during the January transfer window if his situation does not improve.
The teenage midfielder suffered an injury in pre-season which kept him sidelined for a few weeks, denying him an opportunity to start the season under Jose Mourinho.
By the time he returned, the Portuguese tactician had already identified his preferred hierarchy in midfield, with the likes of Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Aurelien Tchouameni and Camavinga firmly ahead in the pecking order.
A stark difference from his debut season
In his debut season, Pitarch ended with 16 first-team appearances for Real Madrid with two assists to his name.
In contrast, this term, the academy graduate has been called up to the matchday squad for five games by Mourinho this term, but has yet to play a single minute of football.
Given the situation, he used the international break to jump down to Castilla and play close to 250 minutes across three games, during which he also registered an assist.
The situation is far from ideal for a young talent who needs regular minutes to continue his development and build on his impressive breakthrough campaign.
As such, the possibility of a departure on loan in January could be considered, after Pitarch turned down offers in the summer to stay at Real Madrid.
A lot will depend on how things evolve in the next couple of months, but a temporary exit cannot be ruled out.
