Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender close to joining newly-promoted La Liga club on loan – report
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez, Real Madrid defender Jesus Vallejo is close to moving to Granada on a season-long loan.
Vallejo, 26, has been with Real Madrid since 2015 but has only been able to make 31 appearances across all competitions. Since joining Madrid, Vallejo has embarked on several loan spells to gain experience.
During the 2016-17 season, the centre-back was shipped to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga where he got to play 27 games in all competitions.
In July 2019, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on a season-long loan, but his tenure was cut short in January itself.
Upon returning, he temporarily joined Granada for the rest of the season and his performances were so impressive that the team got him for another year during the 2020-21 season.
Now, it is almost certain that Vallejo’s playing time at Real Madrid will be bare minimum next season.
We have reported before that Vallejo was initially willing to stay and fight for his place next season, but as it turns out, he has decided to consider offers after all.
This is mostly because Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly had a talk with him, explaining to the defender that the best course of action is to move on.
Interestingly enough, despite limited playing time in the last few seasons, Vallejo has no shortage of admirers as it is believed that he has several offers on the table. For what it is worth, however, he has decided to join the familiar faces at Granada.
As things stand, there is a good chance that the 26-year-old’s loan move to the newly-promoted La Liga club could be completed before the end of the day today.
Jude Bellingham’s impact at Real Madrid this season is simply undeniable. However, what is even more fascinating is that if the Los Blancos had not signed him this summer, the team from the Spanish capital would have accumulated eight fewer points this season, reports AS.
The former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been in the thick of things ever since the first game of the season, which was a 2-0 win over Athletic Club away from home.
Since his opening day heroics, the England international has found the net six times in as many appearances across all competitions.
Too many draws without Bellingham
The 20-year-old midfielder has scored late winners in as many as three games for Madrid this season. In fact, among the matches Madrid have played this season, it was the opening game, against Athletic Club, that his goal was not decisive.
In that game, Rodrygo initiated the scoring, while the English international sealed the victory. It was a 0-2 triumph, which would still have been a win even without his contribution.
However, his impact was undeniable in the other encounters, such as the matches against Almeria (1-3, where he netted a brace and assisted Vinicius Jr’s goal), Celta (0-1), Getafe (1-0), and Union (1-0).
Where would Madrid be without him?
Once you do the math, that’s five goals scored in four games which transformed four draws into victories.
If it weren’t for Bellingham’s goals, Madrid’s League points would be six fewer, and their Champions League tally would be reduced by two, totaling eight points across all competitions. Although these are speculative scenarios, their credibility solidifies when examining the statistics.
As a result, Real Madrid have started with a flawless record of 18 points out of a possible 18 across all competitions.
We don’t really need to solidify the importance of last-minute goals in football, but if there was an award for it, Bellingham would be a worthy winner, to say the least.
