Real Madrid News
Tottenham defender appreciates Real Madrid transfer interest – ‘It’s a compliment’
Speaking to ElDesmarque (h/t MARCA), Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro has admitted that the transfer interest coming from Real Madrid makes him feel good about how things are going in his career.
The Spanish full-back is one of the players that Los Blancos are looking at to reinforce the right-back slot, although Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool remains their priority target.
Should the England star sign a new contract with the Reds, a move will be off the table, which is why the club are keeping a Plan B in place with Porro identified as the alternative.
And, the former Manchester City player has now opened up on the transfer rumours linking him to Real Madrid, stating that he sees it as a compliment.
“My friends send me the rumours, it’s a compliment…. It’s the fruit of a job well done that one of the best clubs in the world is looking at me,” said the Spaniard, who has a contract with Tottenham until 2028.
At the same time, though, Porro made it clear that he is fully focused on his career at Tottenham and his role with the Spanish national team.
However, there was another nod towards a potential move to Real Madrid as he named the Merengues’ No. 8, Federico Valverde, in his ideal XI.
Furthermore, Porro did not hesitate to point to Madrid as one of his favourite cities when asked to name a place where he would like to live.
During the chat, the Spaniard also hinted that he would love to return to La Liga, in another wink at a possible future switch to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
