Real Madrid News
Real Madrid rival Liverpool, Bayern Munich for 20-year-old Premier League defender
Real Madrid have taken an interest in Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap, who is also on the radars of Liverpool and Bayern Munich, as reported by Fichajes.
The 20-year-old Bella-Kotchap impressed in Germany with VfL Bochum before securing a transfer to Southampton this past summer. And since arriving in England, the centre-back has made a huge impression with his performances for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
So much so that Bella-Kotchap was called up for the German national team by manager Hansi Flick for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Apart from catching the eye of the Germany manager, Bella-Kotchap has seemingly drawn the attention of three of the biggest clubs in Europe in the form of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
All three clubs are said to be keeping tabs on the 20-year-old’s development as they see him as someone who can be a leader of the defence in the future.
Liverpool will soon need to put a succession plan in place for Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk, who are in their thirties, while at Bayern they could still do with defensive reinforcements despite the recent acquisition of Matthijs de Ligt.
As for Real Madrid, the report states that Los Blancos see Bella-Kotchap’s profile as ideal for him to become the long-term defensive partner of Eder Militao over the next decade.
With Nacho entering the final phase of his career and Jesus Vallejo out of favour, someone like Bella-Kotchap can be brought in and groomed to grow into the role of a starting centre-back at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Bella-Kotchap’s contract with Southampton runs until 2026. For now, there is no mention of Real Madrid or any other club making an attempt to sign him. However, they will likely continue monitoring his progress closely with an eye on a future move for the defender.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
