Real Madrid News
Real Madrid did not make a move for PSG new signing as they feared another ‘Jovic case’
Real Madrid ended the summer transfer window with the notable purchase of Jude Bellingham, who promises to be an asset for the club in the years to come.
But the Spanish giants failed to bring in Kylian Mbappe or any other striker that can at least momentarily replace Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid did not much of an effort to sign any of the available options in the market, including Randal Kolo Muani.
Here’s why Real Madrid did not sign Kolo Muani
A recent report from The Athletic has explained why Real Madrid did not make any effort to sign Kolo Muani, who joined PSG on transfer deadline day.
The report explains that Real Madrid were not happy with Kolo Muani’s €90-100 million price tag. The Frenchman indeed joined PSG for a whopping €95 million.
PSG paid a fortune to Kolo Muani because of his extraordinary performances at Eintracht Frankfurt. The former Nantes starlet was indeed involved in 29 league goals during his debut season in the Bundesliga.
Kolo Muani’s price tag, though, was not the only reason behind Real Madrid’s decision to not go after the French international.
The Athletic suggests Los Blancos took a cautious approach with the Frankfurt starlet as they desperately wanted to avoid another Luka Jovic scenario.
Real Madrid, indeed, were left in a precarious spot when Jovic failed to make any impact at Santiago Bernabeu after joining the club for a fee of €63 million in 2019.
After leaving Real Madrid to join Fiorentina on a free transfer last year, Jovic has signed for AC Milan this summer, once again on a free transfer.
Nevertheless, with Kolo Muani signing for PSG, Real Madrid are left with Joselu as the only recognised centre-forward, which puts the stress on the injured Vinicius Junior.
It will be interesting to see how Los Blancos manage their goalscoring department during the first half of the season and whether or not they are forced to sign a new attacker come January.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
