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Four reasons why Real Madrid must sign Leny Yoro right away
Real Madrid have been eyeing 18-year-old Lille centre-back Leny Yoro for several months. However, the uncertainty surrounding his arrival, whether this summer or next, has stirred much debate.
The primary obstacle is financial; Lille are holding out for a big transfer fee for their prized asset. But with Yoro’s contract set to expire in 12 months, Real Madrid are hesitant to make a significant investment.
Despite this, there are compelling reasons for the club to secure the 18-year-old’s services this summer.
Here are four reasons why Florentino Perez and Jose Angel Sanchez must go all out for the French teenager in the current transfer window.
1. The injury crisis
One of the most pressing reasons for Real Madrid to act now is the club’s recent struggle with injuries. Last season, the team faced one of the most severe injury crises in its history.
Just 48 hours before the start of the La Liga season, Thibaut Courtois suffered an ACL rupture in training. The opening match against Athletic Club saw another blow as Eder Militao also tore his ACL.
The injury woes did not end there. David Alaba, another key defender, suffered a similar fate in mid-December, tearing his ACL and subsequently damaging his meniscus.
These injuries left the team vulnerable, forcing Carlo Ancelotti to rely heavily on Antonio Rudiger. The German took on an immense workload, as he became one of the most frequently played players throughout the campaign.
Given this context, bolstering the defence with a promising young talent like Yoro is not just a luxury but a necessity. His presence would provide much-needed depth and help mitigate the risks associated with potential injuries to key defenders.
2. Contractual Concerns
Waiting until next summer to sign Yoro for free could be a gamble that backfires. While his contract with Lille is set to expire in 12 months, this period could see significant changes.
Lille might succeed in convincing the player to renew his contract, potentially including a substantial release clause. Such a scenario would make it more challenging and costly for Real Madrid to secure his signature.
Moreover, Yoro is already on the radar of several top European clubs like Manchester United and PSG. If Real Madrid delay their move, they risk losing him to another team.
The competitive nature of the transfer market means that any delay could see another club convincing Yoro to join them, especially if they present a more immediate and attractive offer.
3. Age and Potential
Leny Yoro’s age and potential make him an ideal long-term investment for Real Madrid. At just 18 years old, he has the potential to develop into a world-class centre-back.
With over 15 years of football ahead of him, the Frenchman represents a strategic acquisition that could solidify the Merengues’ defence for the next decade or more.
The departure of former captain Nacho Fernandez has left a void in the defence. This exit makes the need for a new centre-back even more urgent.
Yoro, standing at 1.88 meters, offers the physical presence and defensive capabilities that Real Madrid need. His youth also means he can be moulded to fit the club’s playing style and ethos, ensuring continuity and stability in the defensive line.
4. Fixture overload next season
Real Madrid played 56 games in all competitions in the 2023/24 season. If they do not make it past the group stage in any of the cup competitions in 2024/25, they will still play 59 games. Making it to the finals in all will result in 70 games all season.
This requires squad death for the upcoming season. With David Alaba still not back from injury and likely to return in 2025, Real Madrid’s options at centre-back ahead of the new season are Rudiger and Militao, with Aurelien Tchouameni a makeshift alternative.
As such, signing Yoro this summer will be a massive boost for the team to face the upcoming season, where the team will travel across three continents from July to May, playing around 70 games.
Not many saw the result that unfolded at the Estadio de La Cartuja last night coming, as Real Madrid slipped to a shocking 1-0 defeat to Real Betis.
Jose Mourinho made a couple of changes to his team on the night but fielded one of his strongest possible XIs, acknowledging the difficulty of the challenge Los Verdiblancos posed.
The first half ended scoreless, with the visitors completely dominating the flow of the game but failing to convert their chances. After the break, they only upped the ante and pressed higher to break the deadlock.
Almost against the flow of the game, however, Troy Parrott fired from very close range to put his side ahead through a set-piece, and Real Madrid had just ten minutes to find two goals.
A hard-fought ten minutes, a disallowed goal and a missed penalty later, however, the full-time whistle blew with Real Madrid staring at defeat.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid.
A first loss under Mourinho
Real Madrid’s lacunae were visible in the team’s first away clash of the new season when they took home a last-gasp win over Espanyol.
They looked comfortable at home, but it has always been clear that they are not invincible.
A first defeat of the season, in that sense, was always just a matter of time as the team continued to develop under Jose Mourinho, and that setback appeared early in the campaign last night.
The defeat to Real Betis at the Estadio de La Cartuja continued Real Madrid’s trend of struggling away from home and exposed the team’s lacunae to the world once more.
A lot can be said about the refereeing and how the result was harsh on Los Blancos, but the fact of the matter remains that a team with the talent that Real Madrid possesses simply has no excuses to look so blunt in attack.
Jose Mourinho’s men created chances in abundance on the night, but none of the team’s star forwards could effectively finish a single chance.
Kylian Mbappe had a rare off-night and even Jude Bellingham did not score from any of his three shots. Vinicius Jr., Arda Guler, Yan Diomande and Carlos Espi all had their chances, but all failed to bury even a single chance.
In the end, it can be called misfortune, but for Real Madrid to have made nothing of an xG of 3.46 and to miss a penalty in the same game has to be dug into. The players did not play poorly, but the lack of a lethal finish came back to bite them.
Mbappe’s controversial penalty
Real Madrid had a massive chance to salvage something from the frustrating night in the 94th minute when the referee awarded the visitors a penalty that would see them return to level terms.
Kylian Mbappe stepped up, and it was taken for granted that the Frenchman would score as usual. Astonishingly, however, Mbappe did not find the back of the net.
For starters, it must be said that the Merengues have no one to blame but themselves for the defeat to Real Betis, for they could not have had a clearer chance to steal at least a point away from the night.
However, there was a clear element of controversy in the spot-kick that must not be misinterpreted as an excuse.
At the precise moment that Mbappe struck the ball from the spot, a Real Betis player was half inside the penalty area with his foot in the air.
Had the player’s foot been on the ground, the penalty would certainly have been retaken, and had he been outside the area, the save would be deemed completely fair. His foot being airborne, yet inside the box, however, opens up a grey area.
The referee on the night believed that having the foot in the air did not warrant a retake, and saw Real Madrid lose their penalty.
However, there are strong grounds to claim that it should have been retaken as his foot being inside the box takes precedence over whether it was grounded or not.
Had the referee’s decision gone differently, one would have backed Mbappe to come good the second time and Real Madrid would have avoided the defeat.
Alvaro Valles deserves his flowers
For Real Madrid to create seven big chances, have 20 shots and an xG of 3.46, and yet not score is simply absurd. But it happened last night against Los Verdiblancos, and only one man stood in between Real Madrid and the scoresheet – Alvaro Valles.
The Real Betis goalkeeper delivered the performance of his lifetime as he stopped chance after chance and denied the visitors any sight of goal.
In 90 minutes, Valles made a staggering six saves, all of which came from inside the box, and prevented a direct xG of 2.98. In simpler terms, Real Madrid should have scored three goals past him with the quality of chances they had, but he directly stopped them all.
Further, Valles saved Mbappe’s penalty under the highest of pressure in a moment that was simply the crowning moment of his entire night.
On a different night, with a different goalkeeper, the outcome of the game could well have been very different.
Valles, however, deserves every bit of praise he is earning for his performance last night, and even Real Madrid fans have no option but to stand and applaud the shift he put in for ninety minutes.
