Real Madrid News
Real Madrid had concerns about move for Tottenham superstar despite Ancelotti’s request
As reported yesterday, Tottenham Hotspur superstar Harry Kane is on his way to Bayern Munich, with the two clubs reaching an agreement over a deal worth more than €100 million.
It is no secret that Kane was on Real Madrid’s radar this summer following the departure of Karim Benzema.
The 30-year-old England captain was a player that manager Carlo Ancelotti specifically requested to reinforce the No. 9 slot.
But, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and CEO Jose Angel Sanchez ruled against the move, reports Mario Cortegana of The Athletic.
Real Madrid had concerns about Kane
As per the report, Ancelotti had asked for the signing of Kane from Tottenham, but the club’s higher-ups were not convinced by the operation and had some concerns.
For starters, Kane turned 30 this summer and his age was a factor in Perez and Jose Angel Sanchez not sanctioning a move.
Another major issue for the Merengues’ administration was the Tottenham ace goalscorer’s adaptability, given that he has spent his entire career in England.
As such, Perez and Sanchez were reluctant to splash the big bucks on the signing of Kane.
The Daniel Levy factor
Apart from the aforementioned concerns, Real Madrid were also not looking forward to negotiating with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.
Los Blancos have had the experience of negotiating deals with Levy in the past, having signed Luka Modric and Gareth Bale from Spurs.
And, the report states that they ‘feared’ entering into talks with the Tottenham chairman, knowing that they would be unwilling to pay what he would ask for the 30-year-old centre-forward.
Another reason why Real Madrid passed up on Kane would be their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe and how investing heavily in the England captain might hamper their plans for the PSG superstar, who became available on the market this summer.
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.
