Real Madrid News
‘He trusted me a lot’ – Bayer Leverkusen star opens up on Real Madrid rumours and Xabi Alonso’s sacking
Alejandro Grimaldo addressed the speculation that linked him with Real Madrid, while also offering his thoughts on former manager Xabi Alonso and his future ambitions.
The Spanish full-back enjoyed some of the best football of his career under Alonso at Leverkusen, becoming one of the key figures in the German side’s rise.
Their successful partnership naturally led to rumours that a reunion could take place elsewhere, particularly when Alonso returned to Real Madrid as a manager.
Now, Grimaldo has reflected on those rumours and explained how he viewed the possibility of working with the coach again.
On Alonso’s sacking
During an interview with AS, Grimaldo was asked about Alonso’s managerial journey and whether he was surprised by the way things unfolded at Real Madrid.
The defender admitted he expected the former midfielder to succeed and remains convinced that Alonso has all the qualities needed to become one of football’s elite coaches.
“Yes, I was surprised. I was one of those who said he was going to be successful, and I still think he will be.
“Sooner or later, he’s going to be one of the best coaches in the world. I’ve been around him, I’ve worked with him, I know his mindset, his ideas about soccer, and I know he has an incredible future ahead of him.
“But the Madrid locker room… in the end, it’s all about results. Although I don’t think they were doing badly at the time he left the club.
“But anyway, I don’t get involved in that.”
Signing for Real Madrid
The conversation then turned towards the transfer rumours that linked Grimaldo with Real Madrid when Alonso was in charge of Los Blancos.
The Leverkusen defender acknowledged the close relationship he built with the coach but admitted that a move never materialised.
“In the end, with Xabi, ever since he brought me to Leverkusen, we’ve been very close. We’ve had a lot of success together, and he trusted me a lot.
“I was thrilled to be with him, but in the end, when you go to a club like Madrid, well, I guess you can’t bring in every player you like.
“We had to go our separate ways, and he’s now at Chelsea. I wish him the best; he’ll have an incredible future,” he concluded.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid weighing up January move for €70 million-rated Arsenal midfielder – report
Real Madrid’s midfield is the one department where Jose Mourinho sees clear scope for improvement, especially given that the club did not sanction his wish for a top midfield signing in the summer.
While Bernardo Silva has chipped in as a handy option to feature in the deep midfield, the club still lacks a controlling and creative option who can glue the team together.
In that sense, there is a clear lacuna that Real Madrid need to address and Defensa Central brings to light that the club have opened up to a potential target.
Zubimendi emerges as a target
Indeed, the player in question is Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi who the club have seen as a target for a long time, and Real Madrid could even go on to sign him in January.
The Spanish international has not started off the new season well under Mikel Arteta and has primarily featured as a substitute. He does, thus, see a move to Madrid with good eyes in every sense.
Real Madrid, for their part, have not ruled out his signing as was reported in recent months and there is even a chance they seriously pursue him in the winter transfer window as a mid-season fix.
The possible fee
The Spanish outlet also add that Zubimendi’s move to Real Madrid could be completed for a fee similar to what Arsenal paid for the player for his transfer from Real Sociedad – €70 million.
Mourinho’s insistence on making a new midfield signing is no secret, and with a clear target now in mind, the board could well back him with the player he wishes.
Notably, however, even Chelsea are seriously interested in his signing.
So far, Federico Valverde has been Real Madrid’s mainstay in midfield, and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return will change the team’s dynamics in the department.
Neither player, however, offers the control and distribution skill set that the team direly lack.
A big part of whether or not the club pushes for Zubimendi, however, will depend on how the Valverde-Tchouameni combination plays out in the coming months. It is, after all, the manager’s first-choice combination for big games.
