Real Madrid News
Official: Brazil deny any agreement with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti
Responding to recent speculation, the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) has come out with an official statement, denying any agreement with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“We can deny any agreement reached with Ancelotti. We suggest to leave the speculations — we will decide and then announce our new head coach at the right moment,” the Brazilian FA said (h/t Fabrizio Romano) in a statement.
The federation was referring to a report from ESPN Brasil that claimed an agreement between Ancelotti and the Brazilian FA. The report further claimed that the Italian mastermind is set to become the head coach of the Brazil football team from the upcoming summer.
The speculation drew a lot of attention, as it did not come as a surprise to many because Brazil have been tracking Ancelotti for a long time.
Ever since Tite left after Brazil’s debacle at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the South American nation has been looking for a replacement for quite some time now. They have been linked with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Ancelotti, among others.
Ancelotti is believed to be one of their favourite options because of his vast experience and track record of being a proven winner. But the Italian’s entourage has denied any agreement with the Brazilian FA, which was shortly followed by the federation’s own statement.
However, even though Ancelotti wishes to see out his contract at Real Madrid that expires in 2024, it does not guarantee that he will not join the Brazilian national team in the coming summer.
This is because Real Madrid have performed poorly in the league of late and are currently trailing arch-rivals Barcelona by eight points.
And if they continue their poor form in the Champions League, it could spell trouble for Ancelotti, which in turn, could allow the Brazilian FA to make a swoop.
According to reports from Mario Cortegana (h/t Madrid Zone), Real Madrid have two objectives for the upcoming summer transfer window. The centre-forward and the right-wing position are seen as the two positions to be reinforced but no decision has been made yet about making a move.
This comes over and above the Merengues’ pre-existing need for new midfielders and full-backs in the coming windows.
At first sight, it may appear that Los Blancos are well stacked in the final third. In Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo Goes, they have three starting quality players who are well-complemented by the likes of Marco Asensio and Federico Valverde.
Yet, Vinicius is the only player on the aforementioned list who can boast of a starting role in a fixed position for at least the next decade.
There is worry over the centre-forward role considering Benzema’s lack of form and fitness throughout the current campaign. With the Ballon d’Or winner already 35, the club need a young reinforcement soon which is evident with the team’s struggle for goals this term.
Los Blancos have already invested heavily in Endrick in this regard. However, that has not stopped them from following established options like Dusan Vlahovic and Erling Haaland as their Brazilian wonderkid will not arrive until 2024.
The right wing is also understaffed despite the presence of young Rodrygo and Fede Valverde. The duo have no dearth of talent but have not managed to click on the wing as well as the manager would have liked.
Thus, it remains to be seen as to who the club targets to strengthen the wing and aim to stretch the play. Given the heavy investment planned for Jude Bellingham, a low-cost option is likely to be considered.
