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 News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
