Real Madrid News
Real Madrid were initially planning to buy then-Barcelona target instead of Eder Militao
A recent report from MARCA has offered key insights into Juni Calafat’s time at Real Madrid, as the chief scout of the club.
The 49-year-old is considered one of three main figureheads at Real Madrid, along with Florentino Perez and Jose Angel Sanchez. He is the brains behind the club’s operation to sign talents such as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Although Calafat has no footballing background, he has a great deal of influence in Brazilian football. He is also very persistent and more often than not, manages to convince the other Real Madrid bosses of his transfer choices.
One such instance saw him convince Real Madrid to buy Eder Militao in 2019 even though the other authority within the club had preferred the signing of Matthijs de Ligt.
The Dutchman was a hot prospect in the transfer market at the time, especially after an excellent campaign with Ajax, where he had helped the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
But thanks to Juni Calafat’s influence, Real Madrid ended up signing Militao, which has proven to be a wise choice for the club.
While Militao did initially endure a slow start to his career at Santiago Bernabeu, the Brazilian has grown by stature in recent years. He is now considered the main defensive lynchpin in the team, having already featured in almost 100 matches for Los Blancos.
Militao’s performances have improved significantly as well, with the Brazilian showcasing exceptional leadership, experience and ability to read the game. These qualities have helped him build a formidable partnership with David Alaba, ultimately making Real Madrid one of the most defensively astute teams in La Liga.
Hence, the reigning Spanish champions only have Juni Calafat to thank for their pursuit of Militao. As for de Ligt, the Dutchman has not quite managed to live up to the expectations and is currently plying his trade for Bayern Munich, hoping to speed up his progress under Julian Nagelsmann.
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
