Real Madrid News
Tchouameni opens up on fight with Valverde: ‘The only thing that bothered me…’
Real Madrid’s recent season was a queer one on many fronts, but perhaps the biggest of them all was the constant internal tussles in the dressing room.
At times, it was a rift between the president and the manager, and if not that, it was one between the manager and the players.
To top it all off, there were innumerable instances of players themselves having internal clashes for a plethora of reasons, and one of the instances that best exemplified that gap was the fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde late in the season.
Tchouameni calls out the media for fabricated news
On duty with the French national team, Aurelien Tchouameni was recently reminded of his altercation and clash with Federico Valverde and was asked what his personal learnings were from the entire saga.
Rightfully so, the player first pointed the gun at the media and used the chance to openly call them out for fabricating news to their liking.
“What did I learn from the incident with Fede Valverde? As I said, the only thing that bothered me was the fabricated stories that came out compared to what really happened.”
Elaborating on the damaging effects of the press and how the dressing room situation was very different from what was presented, Tchouameni said,
“That’s something I can’t control, the press is inventing stuff every day. The most important thing is that we keep calm and serenity in the locker room.”
On his learnings from the incident
The player then arrived on the topic of his learnings from the entire saga and how problems are always magnified.
“The lessons? It’s that no matter what’s going on in your life, the problem is never as big as you think it is. Today we’re talking about this, tomorrow we’ll talk about something else.”
He also commented on the chaos that ensued after the event and how he just had to wait for the storm to pass and normalcy to resume.
“You just have to get through those two or three days when there’s a lot of uproar. This story blew up so much that for the first two or three days, we felt like it would never end.”
Finally, the defensive midfielder declared truce with his teammate and stated that he was open to working with the Uruguayan star despite all the recent events.
“I’m prepared to keep working with Fede Valverde and with him until the end.”
Source: L’Equipe
One of the main objectives for Real Madrid this summer was to bring in a new central midfielder capable of controlling the tempo and dictating the play from the middle.
A move for Rodri was in the works before the Spain captain decided to sign for FC Barcelona. The Merengues assessed several other options, but ended up not signing any player, with Jose Mourinho deciding to use Bernardo Silva in the double pivot.
One of the midfielders that Real Madrid were looking at as an option was Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace.
The England international has been on the club’s radar for a while now, but the Premier League club never opened the door for a summer departure.
Wharton could be on the market in 2027
However, now, according to The Guardian (h/t Bernabeu Digital), That stance could change next year, as that Palace would be prepared to consider selling Wharton during the next summer transfer window.
As mentioned already, Real Madrid have closely followed Wharton’s situation throughout the summer, although the club ultimately decided against making any further additions to their midfield.
Manchester City and Chelsea also showed serious interest in signing the England international during the summer. However, Crystal Palace were unwilling to sell, effectively ruling out a move for the midfielder.
But it appears that they could open the doors for Wharton to leave in the summer of 2027, potentially paving the way for Real Madrid to make a move.
Real Madrid continue to monitor Wharton
Real Madrid are expected to keep a close eye on Wharton’s progress ahead of the 2027 market. Should they decide they need another high-quality midfielder, the 22-year-old could once again emerge as a candidate.
Manchester City may be less likely to return for Wharton after strengthening their midfield significantly this summer.
Chelsea, however, could remain a potential competitor after failing to add a player in the position during the latest window.
For now, Wharton will remain at Crystal Palace, but the club’s willingness to consider a sale next summer means the midfielder could become a realistic option for Real Madrid in 2027.
