Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender unhappy with lack of game-time this season – report
With the club football set for a restart, Real Madrid are bracing themselves for a busy period ahead. While they are not expected to make too many moves during the January transfer window, the club are facing an ordeal in relation to the status of some of their squad members.
The likes of Nacho Fernandez, Toni Kroos and Dani Ceballos are all looking at an uncertain future at Santiago Bernabeu, as their contracts expire at the end of the season. There are already fears that Kroos may opt for early retirement, whereas there are no guarantees on the future of Nacho either.
According to Roberto Morales on El Chiringuito TV, the veteran centre-back is unhappy at Real Madrid due to his lack of game-time in the first team.
This is quite significant for Los Blancos as Nacho has historically never complained about his role in the first team throughout his ongoing nine-and-a-half-year spell at the club.
With 286 competitive appearances, the 32-year-old is one of the most experienced members of the current Real Madrid setup. But over the past decade or so, the Spaniard has largely played the role of a backup defender, to the likes of Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Raphael Varane, and more recently, David Alaba and Eder Militao.
But despite his lack of prominence in the starting eleven, Nacho had racked up over 1,500 minutes of league football in each of the past four seasons.
However, this time around, the veteran has only racked up 141 minutes so far, falling behind the likes of Militao, Alaba and summer signing Antonio Rudiger in the pecking order.
Rudiger’s arrival in the summer has indeed affected Nacho’s role in the team, to a great extent.
As such, the defender is not entirely sure about extending his contract at Santiago Bernabeu, especially amid speculation linking him to a reunion with Jose Mourinho at AS Roma.
Before he was hired by Bayern Munich as the direct replacement for Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel was closely linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The German tactician had kept a close eye on the development at Santiago Bernabeu, especially with coach Carlo Ancelotti facing immense pressure following the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions.
A recent report from Jorge Picon has offered more details on the Tuchel saga, suggesting that the coach was even learning Spanish during his time at Ibiza, anticipating a potential move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
There were even contacts made between Tuchel’s entourage and Real Madrid. Although the talks were positive, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement.
Real Madrid did not guarantee him the job. They had informed Tuchel that Ancelotti may continue at the Bernabeu in the event the club win the UEFA Champions League this season.
This bit of uncertainty played a critical role in convincing Tuchel to join Bayern Munich instead. The former Chelsea boss was hired as a direct replacement for Nagelsmann, who was sacked after a poor season in the Bundesliga by the club’s high standards.
However, Tuchel’s move to Bayern appears to be a missed opportunity on the German’s part, as Real Madrid have recently intensified their search for a new manager.
It is clear that the club’s hierarchy is yet to reach a consensus over the future of Ancelotti, with some believing that a change is necessary come the end of the season. In fact, the club’s president Florentino Perez has been an admirer of Tuchel’s compatriot Nagelsmann.
The coaching prodigy is one of the candidates to replace Ancelotti in the summer, though it is Mauricio Pochettion who is reportedly leading the race so far.
