Real Madrid News
The only way Real Madrid can sign Michael Olise this summer – Romano
Real Madrid transfer news continues to be dominated by speculation surrounding Michael Olise, but the Spanish giants remain powerless until one crucial decision is made by the player himself.
The Michael Olise Real Madrid links have gathered momentum in recent weeks, yet any potential move from Bayern Munich depends entirely on the French international’s next conversation with his current club.
According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid can only move forward with the deal if the winger informs Bayern Munich that he wants to leave.
As things stand, however, no such request has been made, meaning the Bundesliga champions remain in complete control of the situation.
Real Madrid waiting for Bayern Munich talks
With France’s FIFA World Cup campaign now over, Olise is set to return to Germany for decisive talks with Bayern Munich.
Those discussions are expected to provide the clearest indication of whether the Michael Olise transfer will gather pace or come to an end before it truly begins.
For now, Bayern Munich have no intention of parting ways with one of their biggest stars, leaving Real Madrid watching developments from a distance.
The club’s recruitment team is ready to act if the player signals that he wants a new challenge. Until then, there is little the Spanish side can do other than remain patient.
Florentino Perez sees Olise as Real Madrid’s Galactico signing
The continued speculation is hardly surprising given how highly Florentino Perez rates the France international.
The Real Madrid president considers Olise the ideal marquee arrival and the player capable of becoming the club’s next Galactico.
That admiration explains why Real Madrid latest transfer news features the Bayern Munich winger so prominently.
Despite that, however, Bayern remain firm in their stance. Unless Olise personally asks to leave, there is no expectation that the German club will negotiate.
Even if the player opens the door to a transfer, Olise would command an enormous transfer fee given his importance to Vincent Kompany’s squad.
Kylian Mbappe’s blistering start to the season has already hit its first bump, with the Real Madrid forward’s missed penalty against Real Betis exposing an area of his game that has historically been less reliable.
Mbappe had given Madrid fans plenty of reasons for optimism in the opening weeks.
He scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad before finding the net again against Malaga, making it four goals across his first three matches of the season.
The performance against Betis, though, was a different story.
Mbappe struggled to make the same impact and then missed an injury-time penalty, with Alvaro Valles making the save as Madrid eventually suffered a 0-1 defeat.
Mbappe’s penalty numbers make uncomfortable reading
Mbappe’s latest miss adds to a record that is far from elite when compared with some of Real Madrid’s previous specialists.
Including the Betis penalty, Mbappe has now missed 16 of the 81 penalties he has taken during his career, excluding shoot-outs. That represents a failure rate of 19.7%.
His numbers with Real Madrid are even less convincing, having converted 19 of 24 penalties for the club, meaning his miss rate stands at 20.8%, effectively one missed penalty in every five attempts.
Mbappe’s record compared with Madrid legends
The comparison with Real Madrid’s previous penalty takers provides better context.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed only 13 of his 92 penalties, giving him a miss rate of 14.1%. Sergio Ramos was considerably more dependable, missing just one of his 23 attempts, which is a rate of 4.3%.
All three sets of figures exclude penalty shoot-outs, making the comparison more relevant to normal match situations.
Mbappe therefore has work to do if he is to reach the level of reliability expected from a team’s primary penalty taker.
Sure, his overall goalscoring numbers remain outstanding, but penalties are an important part of that production.
Mourinho should keep faith with Mbappe
Meanwhile, there is little reason for Jose Mourinho or the Real Madrid dressing room to lose confidence in Mbappe because of one miss on matchday four.
His opening performances, particularly the hat-trick against Real Sociedad, provide ample evidence of his quality, and the greater concern may be psychological rather than tactical.
Mbappe’s confidence from the spot will be worth watching, especially because of what he is chasing this season.
The Ballon d’Or, Pichichi and Golden Boot are all among his ambitions, and penalties offer a valuable route towards the goals required for those prizes.
