Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender refused Ancelotti’s plans to change position this season – report
The planning at Santiago Bernabeu is usually always on point. When it comes to pre-season squad planning and decision-making, few clubs in the world can boast of being superior to Real Madrid.
For the Spanish defending champions to be facing a tricky situation at the left-back position is something not many would have seen coming. According to reports from AS (h/t Madrid Zone), the manager’s dilemma is not because of a lack of planning but a different set of factors.
The management is said to have planned on using David Alaba as the primary left-back this season ahead of Ferland Mendy. This also explains why the Merengues pushed so hard for Antonio Rudiger as a replacement centre-back.
According to the initial blueprint, Rudiger should have partnered with Eder Militao as the first-choice central defence pairing. Caravajal would complete the four-man defensive line as the right back.
However, Alaba refused to play as a left-back. The Austrian spoke with Ancelotti and insisted on playing centrally in his second season, leaving the manager short-staffed at left-back.
While Alaba has done well as a centre-back, Rudiger is also rising in prominence under Ancelotti. Now, the German is pushing to be a regular starter with Militao, which could pose a problem for Ancelotti.
Alaba is no stranger to playing as a full-back for it was as a left-back that he made his rise to prominence. However, at this stage of his career, the former Bayern Munich ace is keen on continuing as a centre-half.
With Mendy’s performances at left-back not convincing everyone, Real Madrid are likely to venture into the market for a new player in the position come summer.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
