Real Madrid News
Real Madrid big-money signing feeling upbeat despite recent struggles: “I know what I can do”
Aurelien Tchouameni has endured a struggling phase at Real Madrid since the turn of the year. After coming back from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the midfielder has yet to feature in the full ninety minutes of a single game.
The Frenchman has seen his game-time drastically slashed. A fallout with Carlo Ancelotti over his attendance at an NBA game has only compounded his problem, with the youngster falling behind other players in the pecking order.
However, in a recent media interaction, Tchouameni backed himself to perform and get back to his original groove.
“I am confident, I know what I can do. There can be difficult moments in an athlete’s career, and it’s the first time it happened to me – but I’m still learning. There’s a lot of competition at Real and you need to be good to play,” Tchouameni said (h/t GOAL) when asked about his struggles.
Formerly of AS Monaco, Tchouameni has featured in 21 league matches for Real Madrid so far this season, 15 of which have been starts. However, only four of those starts have come in 2023, which is indicative of his declining status in the team.
Tchouameni’s limited minutes can be attributed to Dani Ceballos’ incredible turnaround this year, coupled with Eduardo Camavinga, who has impressed everyone with his performances this year.
However, it must be noted that Tchouameni is very much part of Real Madrid’s long-term plans and will be expected to play a crucial role in helping the club replace the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the years to come.
In contrast, his competitor Ceballos’ contract expires at the end of the season, with uncertainty brewing over the future of the former Arsenal star, who has multiple offers from other clubs across Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
