Real Madrid News
Real Madrid will not make any January signings despite injuries piling up – Romano
The 2023/24 season has been a curse for Real Madrid in terms of injuries and fitness problems that the squad has been put through.
Over the course of the campaign, Los Blancos have lost several important players to injuries, with the ongoing international break bringing more bad news on that front.
Indeed, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr. succumbed to knee and thigh injuries, respectively, while away with their respective national teams are are now out for the rest of 2023.
The duo joins Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, and Arda Guler on the long-term injury list while it must also be remembered that Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jude Bellingham, and Dani Ceballos are also dealing with fitness problems.
No signings in January
Despite all the injury woes and the absences, Real Madrid are unlikely to make any fresh signings to bolster the squad during the January transfer window, reports reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra).
Given that Militao is out until sometime next year and David Alaba has also had problems this term, it was reported that Real Madrid could look to sign Portuguese defender Goncalo Inacio from Sporting CP.
Meanwhile, the injuries to Camavinga and Tchouameni have left Real Madrid without a natural defensive midfielder in the squad, sparking more concerns.
And with Vinicius Jr. expected to be out until February 2024, Los Blancos are without their main man in the attacking unit.
Despite the concerns though, Real Madrid will not go for new signings in the January window.
Solutions within the squad
Instead, manager Carlo Ancelotti will need to look for solutions from within the squad to deal with the injury spree affecting the team.
As such, fans could see veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric play much more regularly in the middle of the park while Joselu is set for greater prominence in the attacking line in the absence of Vinicius.
There could be a possibility that Ancelotti turns to the Castilla squad for reinforcements with players like Nico Paz and Mario Martin likely to get some minutes.
Nico Paz was long hyped as Real Madrid Castilla’s brightest upcoming star. The media constantly kept the spotlight on the young Argentine through pre-season as he made a strong impression under Carlo Ancelotti in preseason.
His breakthrough eventually arrived, courtesy of Real Madrid’s injury crisis. He has now made two appearances for the team in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and even recorded his first goal for the club earlier this week against Napoli.
Taking his chances
As revealed by AS (h/t The Madrid Zone), Paz has impressed management with his cameo against Napoli and will be called up for Real Madrid’s clash against Granada tomorrow.
In fact, there is a good chance he sees significant game time on the night.
After all, Ancelotti is without the likes of Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in the middle of the park.
With Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham filling the starting spots, Paz serves as the manager’s first-choice backup off the bench.
Paz voices his elation
Paz’s introduction against Napoli changed the texture of the game, and it was only poetic that he got the goal that put Real Madrid ahead again on the night.
Speaking to the media after his special night, the Castilla star did not hold back on his emotions.
“This is a dream. For a moment I didn’t even believe it. Very happy to be able to help the team. I dared. I was in automatic mode, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I hit it and well.”
“This is also a message for the other youth players: it is possible to get there. Ancelotti congratulated me, and the whole staff. They are an incredible group and I want to thank them all,” he added, urging his Castilla teammates to keep pushing.
