Real Madrid News
Real Madrid enter the market for a new defender – report
Real Madrid have some clearly defined priorities for the upcoming summer transfer window, and going purely by the team’s performances and dynamics this season, the midfield appears to be on top of that list.
The central defence, in addition, has long been seen as a weak area in the team, and the decision over a new signing in the department was expected to be made based on the futures of the current mainstays.
As reported by COPE (h/t The Madrid Zone) now, there is finally clarity around the future of players in the department and Real Madrid have come to the conclusion that new recruitment is essential.
Plan for the summer
As relayed by the outlet, David Alaba is set to leave Real Madrid in the summer beyond any doubt and Raul Asencio is no longer in the club’s plans in a sudden turnaround.
Further, Eder Militao is set to be out for five months at least, and given that it is his third surgery in a relatively short period, it is unclear how his situation will progress.
In that sense, the Merengues are now looking at the transfer market for a new defender and they hope to land a big fish in June.
After all, only Antonio Rudiger appears set to renew and continue, and he will be the only player in the department alongside Dean Huijsen at the beginning of next season.
Over the past few months, Real Madrid have been linked with several defensive profiles, including Nico Schlotterbeck, Dayot Upamecano and even Ibrahima Konate.
With targets now slipping away, Los Blancos will be under pressure to identify and lock in on their target at the earliest.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
