Real Madrid News
Real Madrid manager planning for next season with €85m star as the defensive pivot
Aurelien Tchouameni’s first season at Real Madrid was far from the paradise it promised to be. Having just lost the services of Casemiro, Carlo Ancelotti turned to the newly arrived youngster with hope, but his season fell steeply despite a promising start.
After a turbulent term with irregular minutes, Tchouameni’s future became an obvious centre for debate. However, recent reports have confirmed that the manager retains faith in him and that he would stay at the club next season.
According to an update from AS, Ancelotti is building a team for the coming season with the Frenchman as the starting defensive midfielder. This not only guarantees the World Cup finalist regular playing time but also reveals a lot about the manager’s plans for the overcrowded midfield department.
For starters, it implies that Toni Kroos will not play as a regular defensive midfielder in 2023/24, contrary to reports that he saw his future in the deeper role. Moreover, it also confirms that the Italian tactician sees Eduardo Camavinga as an interior midfielder higher up.
The doors for speculation are thus blown further open now. After all, the update places Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos, and Kroos in competition for just two spots.
At first glance, it would appear that the veterans would step aside for the younger generation to take over the reins. That theory was also crushed earlier this week when the media revealed that Kroos and Modric were going to see little to no reduction in prominence.
Needless to say, it is a good dilemma for the manager to have, although it will be difficult to manage the playing times of so many stars.
The overbooking in midfield and the shortage of attackers could even spark a change in formation to a 4-3-1-2, with Tchouameni lining up as the holding midfielder and Bellingham as the No. 10, with the remaining two spots being rotated between Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde, Modric, and Ceballos.
Turning the light back onto Tchouameni, whose market value stands at €85 million, the youngster finally appears set to have the opportunity he desired so deeply. With the manager showing his trust, it is now up to the Frenchman to prove his worth and etch his name as a regular.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
