By El Maestro
On Friday, Real Madrid returned to the Spanish capital after their preseason tour in Australia and China, which included four games split between the two countries. Despite winning 3 games and only losing 1, I have no intentions of writing an analysis of those fixtures. These early friendlies are usually slow paced and most teams don’t usually hit their strides until late August (even though the team looked good during the tour). If anything, I may (MAY!) consider doing an analysis after the Audi Cup in Munich next week. For now, my only concerns are the arrivals and departures to this team, which has me a little worried. Apart from the thrilling departure of Casillas, the only players who’ve left the club have been Sami Khedira (free transfer) and Chicharito (loan deal expired). On the flip side, Danilo, Kiko Casilla, Lucas Vazquez, and youngsters Marco Asensio and Jesus Vallejo have been Madrid’s only signings (Vallejo will stay at Zaragoza this season on loan). The club also recuperated Denis Cheryshev and Casemiro (although Madrid had to pay Porto to bring the Brazilian back) from their loan deals. Although Rafa Benitez has his full squad now with James officially joining the team in China after his vacation, the squad is still far from being complete and a lot of uncertainty surrounds the club with potential transfers.
Will Ramos stay or go (more than likely will stay)? Is De Gea coming? Is there going to be another signing in midfield and/or at striker? Is Coentrao leaving? What’s going to happen with the likes of Illarramendi, Lucas Silva, Cheryshev, Jese, Odegaard, and Marco Asensio? Will other signings have to be made?
Now that the team is back home, these questions could start finally being answered. Lucas Silva and Marco Asensio will probably be the first players to head out (both on loan). Madrid already has 4 non-European players (James, Danilo, Casemiro, and Lucas Silva) and a team cannot have more than 3; making Lucas Silva the odd man out. Asensio had a great performance in the U-19 European Championship with Spain (winning the tournament). However, coming from Mallorca in the second division, he’ll most likely be loaned out to a first division side to gain experience and be able to fight for a position next year. After this is taken care of, the other matters will have to be decided by Benitez.
Matters at hand:
Illarramendi: I’m leaving this entirely to Rafa. Illarra is entering his third season and we still have not seen that player that stuck out at Real Sociedad. Big lights, poor play, and lack of confidence have destroyed him, but maybe a new manager can fix that. If he stays, great; if not, then we’ll need to find another midfielder.
Coentrao: All I’m going to say is if he’s going to still have those same “injury” problems as last season, then it’s probably best to sell him.
Cheryshev or Jese……. or both?: Both play the same position and there may not be room for the two of them. Cheryshev has always been a great player and he showed his skills last season with a fantastic year at Villarreal. Jese was called to be the next ‘big thing’, but a serious injury in 2014 has slowed his progression. Cheryshev has been the one linked away from the Bernabeu, but an idea that has not been considered is loaning Jese out. Loaning the young Canarian to a side where he can play and with a coach that will set him straight could be good for him. Another possibility that has been going around is keeping both of them and having Cheryshev play as left back. His defensive work hasn’t gone unnoticed and wingers do not have big problems adjusting to defensive back (if anything, just ask Juanfran, Jordi Alba, and Juan Bernat).
Odegaard: With Real Madrid Castilla in third division (Second Division B), it may be best to loan him out. At 16 years of age, the good thing about this is that there is no need to rush him. Madrid can loan him out for two or three seasons and have him set to fight for a position by the time he’s 19 (like what Chelsea did with Courtois). For this season, it would be best to loan him to a side where he would feel comfortable and gain confidence (I heard Celtic signed his former coach from Norway; could be a good fit). However, if he stays with Castilla, he has to train with them. Enough of this nonsense that he’s obligated to train five days a week with the first team (supposedly, it’s in his contract).
Arrivals:
Once these matters are taken care of, any other potential signings can start coming. Personally (if the team stays mostly the way it is), I think Madrid only needs another midfielder and a striker, but anything can happen from now to the end of the transfer deadline. Illarra’s future is still not certain, a lot of rumors link Benzema out of Madrid, Ramos could still be on the books to leave, and De Gea’s signing might actually be a possibility this summer. Whatever may happen, I will leave it to Rafa to do what he feels is best for the team.
Yes, I have much more trust in Benitez than I ever did in Ancelotti (more on this later).
¡Hala Madrid!
REAL MADRID SOCIAL CLUB 