Real Madrid News
Soon-to-be Real Madrid new signing believes training with club legends will benefit him
Arda Guler appears to be all set to sign for Real Madrid with an agreement in place with the player and his club, Fenerbahce.
Only a few days ago, it appeared that the 18-year-old Turkish wonderkid appeared to be headed for Barcelona. But a late offer from Real Madrid turned things around as Guler was onboard and will now be joining the Merengues imminently.
Now, according to AS (h/t Madrid Xtra), one of the reasons behind Guler opting to move to Real Madrid is that he believed training with legends like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will benefit him and help him grow as a player.
The 18-year-old enjoyed a decent 2022/23 campaign with Fenerbahce, finishing with six goals and seven assists across all competitions.
An attacking midfielder by trade, Guler has shown great potential and has been catching the eye with his ball control and ability to play incisive passes into the final third.
Training on a daily basis with two of the best-ever midfielders in Kroos and Modric is certain to impact the teenager’s game in a positive way.
In fact, reports coming out of Turkey earlier today even went on to suggest that Modric played an important role in convincing Guler to join the club.
The Croatian is understood to have told Guler that he should take over the No. 10 shirt at the club once he hangs up his boots.
Real Madrid will be paying a transfer fee of around €20 million for Guler and have included a 20% future sell-on clause as well. The deal is expected to signed and sealed soon with the youngster expected to travel to the pre-season tour of the USA.
In a major update, AS reports that former Real Madrid midfielder and club legend Toni Kroos has taken his first step towards starting his coaching career.
The former Germany international has told the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that he is interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers.
Real Madrid tried to bring Kroos back
It is no secret that Real Madrid considered bringing Toni Kroos back into the club’s structure after the end of the last season.
The club president, Florentino Perez, had wanted Kroos to have a daily presence at Valdebebas rather than making occasional appearances after his retirement.
Jose Angel Sanchez and Kroos spoke after Perez expressed his desire to see the German working at Valdebebas every day. However, they did not find the right moment, time or structure to give his return a clear form.
A comeback remains one of the possibilities most desired by Madrid supporters because of Kroos’ charisma and what he represents at the Santiago Bernabeu. Neither side wanted him to return simply for the sake of it, so the door remains open for the future.
The relationship between the two parties is excellent, and both know that the opportunity to work together again will eventually come.
Taking it step by step
For now, Kroos continues to run the academy he established in Boadilla, enjoying the opportunity to help develop younger players.
After two years away from the competitive side of football, however, he is beginning to look towards the dugout as a possible next step in his career.
Kroos currently holds coaching qualifications that allow him to work up to the third tier of Spanish football.
This is possible because professionals with at least seven years of proven experience and significant involvement at the elite level can gain direct access to accelerated coaching courses.
That means Kroos could coach a team in Primera Federacion, but the German wants to take things gradually.
Kroos has already informed the RFEF that he would be interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers during the 2027/28 season.
The course taking place this season is not available to elite former players, with UEFA limiting each campaign to 20 places.
With his current qualifications, Kroos could work as an assistant coach, but he cannot yet take charge as a head coach in either the top flight or the Segunda División.
But completing that programme would allow Kroos to obtain the UEFA A licence, which would enable him to coach teams at any level.
Elfran Czeko
July 6, 2023 at 2:27 am
Good catch for power positioning at the pitch.
Tolga
July 6, 2023 at 1:32 pm
Not a good move for him. He should have move to Dortmund or Ajax!