Real Madrid News
Real Madrid identify two alternatives for top defensive target – report
Real Madrid have not taken any drastic decisions following the injury of Dani Carvajal, but the absence of the veteran right-back has been quite evident in their performances this season.
Keeping that in mind, Real Madrid have stepped up their efforts to sign a new right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold emerging as a top target.
While the club are expected to go all out for the Liverpool ace next summer, they are also open to signing other alternatives available in the market.
Real Madrid eye two alternatives for Alexander-Arnold
To that end, a recent report from Diario AS suggests Real Madrid have already identified a couple of alternatives for top target Alexander-Arnold.
The two players in question are Pedro Porro and Jeremie Frimpong, both of who have been linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu in the past.
Porro, in particular, has been monitored by Real Madrid for quite some time now. Currently plying his trade for Tottenham, the Spaniard has enjoyed immense success in the Premier League.
Should Alexander-Arnold decide to stay at Liverpool, Madrid are likely to go after Porro, whose identity as a Spanish footballer should resonate well with the club.
Securing Porro’s services, though, could be tricky, with Tottenham Hotspur valuing him at around €45 million.
What about Jeremie Frimpong?
Frimpong is not a cost-effective alternative either, as the former Celtic starlet has enjoyed immense success in the Bundesliga since joining Bayer Leverkusen.
Frimpong has established himself as a star player due to his pace and ability to provide width out wide. This makes him an ideal asset for Real Madrid, given their style of play.
At the same time, Frimpong’s value has also skyrocketed, with Bayer Leverkusen likely to demand a figure of €50 million for his services.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, therefore, remains the desired option for Real Madrid as they look to shore up their ranks in the right-back department next 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.
