You Can Sign Any 2 Players in the World: Real Madrid Influencers Take Their Pick
Where do you go when you're the best? There's no place but down for Real Madrid after a tremendous 2016/17 season—unless, that is, Zinedine Zidane finds a way to keep his side right at the top of the footballing tree.
La Liga winners, UEFA Champions League winners, Club World Cup winners: No team on the planet can lay claim to being better than Los Blancos right now, which presents a unique circumstance for trying to improve and upgrade the squad, while competitors at home and abroad attempt to do the same to catch up.
For Madrid, money is no barrier. They're a rich club, they barely had any outlay last year on transfers, and one or two big departures this summer are expected—plus the wages of James Rodriguez and Pepe are already off the books.
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So who comes in? We've opened the floor to social influencers of the club: fan sites, journalists and supporters, telling us exactly which two players they'd bring in through the doors of the Santiago Bernabeu this summer given the chance, to keep Real on top and celebrating silverware.
Not broken, don't fix
All the power in the world to sign anybody at all—but being in the position they are, it's not a surprise to hear that not everybody wants to flash the cash.
Real's balance was good last year, and they were tactically flexible, too. Zidane started the season—shorn of attacking options due to injuries—with a 4-1-4-1, returning to 4-3-3 once the big guns were back up front, then switching to a diamond later in the season as Isco won a deserved starting spot.
As a result, fan news site @ManagingMadrid are perfectly happy the way things are.
"At this point, I'd stand pat. Before it was done, I was a huge advocate for Marcos Llorente coming back, while supporting the idea of bringing Theo Hernandez along with him," says Kiyan Sobhani from the site.
"I had the pleasure of covering both those players with Alaves all season, and I'm really excited about what they'll bring to the team.
"But this is the deepest squad in Europe: two elite players at every position. I'm not a fan of shoehorning in another player for the sake of it."
Perhaps any unexpected departures might change that, but it's a more than reasonable approach as things stand. Real are investing in youth to ensure the best chance of continuity, and the stars and starters have plenty left in the tank for this upcoming season.
2 standouts
That said, continual improvement is an important approach. Bringing in just the one striker last year—Alvaro Morata—and two young players this summer—Theo and Dani Ceballos—could feasibly leave Madrid light on fresh faces, real injections of quality to keep the established names pushed to their limit.
And there's a general consensus that it's at either end of the pitch where Real need upgrades or replenishment sooner or later.
The massive fan social account @RMadridinfo continues to look to the future to ensure the Champions League trophy in particular remains the property of Real Madrid.
"We're coming off a successful season winning both the league in Europe, but to win it twice in row, you need special. The two positions that Real Madrid will need to secure soon are goalkeeper and striker.
"Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are not getting any younger, and Kylian Mbappe fits the role perfectly. Blessed with great pace and physical presence and an eye for goal, he's the one to lead Real Madrid's attack for next 10 years.
"A great team also needs a great shot-stopper, and David De Gea would be ideal for the role. The man brought up in the city of Madrid will be a reliable and a long term solution."
La Liga journalist Andrew Gaffney is in utter agreement.
"Real Madrid are stacked in midfield but still lack many genuine options behind Benzema, and less so if Alvaro Morata isn't willing to play second fiddle.
"Mbappe is the perfect, long-term solution for Real Madrid and could spearhead their attack for the next 10 years. Even a season or two alongside the experienced Cristiano and Gareth Bale would add a new dimension to his game.
"The only weak area of Real Madrid's team is between the sticks. Not weak because they have a bad goalkeeper, not at all, but simply compared to the rest of the squad, it lacks something special.
"De Gea is the dream signing for Madrid fans, always has been, and the player clearly wants a return home at some point. When that time comes, Madrid must do everything to add him to their ranks."
Even @ManagingMadrid is convinced on the French striker.
"If I were to break my own rule on this, I'd love to bring Mbappe next season, as he's a generational talent. I donned him 'The Giannis of Football' on the Managing Madrid Podcast, and it's stuck."
Back-line boosts
Even for those who see the second option as being another area of the team rather than goalkeeper, there are still trends to follow: defensive reinforcements...and Mbappe.
European football journalist Sonja Nikcevic highlights a new centre-back partner as imperative, in the wake of Pepe's exit from the Bernabeu this summer.
"I'd sign Leonardo Bonucci and I'd sign Mbappe. I think Bonucci would be an ideal partner with Ramos, strong and die-hard. If this were Football Manager rather than having real-life ramifications, I would even say [Barcelona's] Gerard Pique instead of Bonucci!"
The Italian centre-back has just joined AC Milan's revolution, moving from Juventus, but money is no object for Real as we've mentioned, and if the 30-year-old has been persuaded to leave Turin after seven years, he could potentially be swayed to depart Serie A entirely.
As ever, it comes back to Mbappe sooner or later.
"Up front Real need to invest in a young striker who can be the next big thing in a few years when Ronaldo isn't as decisive," Nikcevic asserts.
But it's not just the centre of defence which has drawn attention.
Spanish football writer Colin Millar highlights the need for increased depth on the flanks of Ramos, rather than beside him.
"Zidane's success at Madrid has been built around man-management and squad rotation. Their success has not been built on a handful of star performers; it is the squad as a whole who have been the star," Millar opined.
"At points last season there was an argument the club's 'B' side was stronger than its starting XI, with the only notable difference being the lack of depth in the full-back departments.
"Marcelo and Dani Carvajal are among the most underrated players in Europe, due to their respective skill sets, consistency and effectiveness. However, even the most ardent of Madrid fans would admit that Fabio Coentrao and Danilo—their understudies last season—were not up to the club's illustrious standards.
"Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly open to selling at least one of Thomas Meunier or Serge Aurier.
"Both could be ideal for Madrid's potentially vacant right-back spot behind Carvajal; their quality is not in question, although Aurier's disciplinary issues may become a distraction."
Opposite to Carvajal, Marcelo's spot has been given the boost of Theo Hernandez signing this summer, but would a more experienced, readymade addition mean Los Blancos stay right at the top for longer?
"Juventus full-back Alex Sandro seems to be Marcelo's readymade replacement at international level, so why not at Madrid?" Millar continues.
"The Italian champions may have warded off interest from Stamford Bridge, but if Madrid come calling, it could prove harder for club and player to resist. The main doubt surrounding such a move would be whether or not the former Porto man would settle for a rotated role."
There aren't many who could improve Real Madrid's first XI, that much is clear.
Silverware, consistency and depth in the squad are all indicators of this, but with fans and journalists alike given the choice of who to sign out of every player in world football, the biggest pointer to just how strong Zidane's outfit is would be that there are barely any mentioned to come straight into the XI.
Future stars, squad depth and the odd replacement for ageing or departed starters, but Real Madrid's side is already built for success—and 2017/18 could well show once again that they're better than everyone else.
All quotes obtained firsthand.
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