Real Madrid News
Real Madrid flop has no desire to leave Santiago Bernabeu this summer
Ahead of a potential squad overhaul in the coming summer, it is given that multiple existing stars in the Real Madrid team could end up leaving the club at the end of the season.
One of the players poised to depart Santiago Bernabeu is Eden Hazard. The former Chelsea superstar has found little to no success since joining the club in 2019, for a fee in excess of €100 million. With just seven goals to his name, the move has evidently not worked out well for the club.
Hazard’s current contract expires in 2024, with many expecting Real Madrid to sanction his sale in the coming summer, in order to recoup some amount of revenue.
However, according to Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, Hazard has no plans to leave the Bernabeu. His family is well-settled in Madrid and it appears the player himself wants to see out his contract until 2024, rather than moving elsewhere in the summer.
Hazard is well aware of his struggles at Madrid. But he does not want to contemplate an exit due to several reasons, including his family. Not to mention, one of Hazard’s sons, Leo, has recently joined the Real Madrid youth academy.
Hazard is one of the highest earners in the Real Madrid squad and he has no plans to give up his salary, knowing he may not get a better elsewhere.
The Belgian is also not in talks with any other clubs over a potential move away from the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season. Hazard, therefore, is following the route paved by Gareth Bale, Isco and even Mariano Diaz – remaining at Madrid against the club’s will.
However, there is a possibility Hazard may consider an exit. That is if the former Chelsea starlet, who retired from the Belgian national team recently, receives an offer from the United States. But that remains only a possibility for now.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
