Best and Worst Moves Real Madrid Can Make in the Transfer Window
Real Madrid's sky-high expectations naturally lead them to want to win every single game and every single title; last year they made pretty good on that challenge by claiming both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, but 2017/18 has so far been a different matter.
They sit fourth in the domestic table in Spain, eight points off top spot and rivals Barcelona, and although they'll qualify for the last 16 in the Champions League, they are currently being denied top spot in the group also.
It means winter activity is likely for Los Blancos in the transfer market; boss Zinedine Zidane said "anything can happen in terms of arrivals," in a press conference, while negating the possibility of exits from his squad, but it's a natural course of events that new signings can mean another name departs.
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Madrid need to make the right moves if they're to close the gap on Barca and compete to lift a third European title in a row, so here we identify the four best and worst moves the Spanish capital city side could make in the January transfer window.
Best: 4. Alvaro Odriozola
It's not critical that Real Madrid boost numbers in defence, but one addition probably would be welcome.
On the right side, Dani Carvajal would normally be backed up by Nacho this season, but with the versatile Spaniard having to fill in centrally more often than not and Jesus Vallejo also missing games, it has been a difficult few months for Zidane to ensure all positions are covered.
Achraf Hakimi has had half a dozen games, and while he has fared reasonably well, it's clearly not sustainable for Madrid to use the untested 19-year-old as a regular fallback position.
If there's sufficient money to spend and a deal can be struck, Real Sociedad's Alvaro Odriozola would be a tremendous addition.
La Real have made it clear that the Santiago Bernabeu side will need to pay Odriozola's release clause to sign him—that's €40 million—per Radio Marca (h/t Marca), which might make the deal prohibitive midseason.
Best: 3. Loaning out young fringe players
Zidane has been admirable in his willingness to include youngsters in his squad and try to incorporate them, but this season perhaps has put slightly too much of an emphasis on making them bulk out the squad.
There has to be a balance between giving game time to some and allowing them to flourish elsewhere before returning closer to the finished product.
This season, Borja Mayoral, Jesus Vallejo and Marcos Llorente all came back from loans, Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos were signed and the aforementioned Hakimi, along with a handful of others for brief appearances or to be named on the bench, have all made a significant portion of Zidane's squad.
They are all 21 and under except Llorente, 22, and many have minimal exposure to La Liga.
Get a couple out on loan for more regular match time, perhaps specifically Hakimi (if a defender is signed) and Ceballos (once Mateo Kovacic is fit again) and the club will reap the longer-term benefits in future.
Best: 2. Early swoop for Kepa
The past few weeks have seen Real rely on their No. 2 stopper, Kiko Casilla. He's serviceable for a mid-tier Liga side, capable of good moments, but overall lacks the quality and consistency to really be a top-level goalkeeper.
So far this term, he's had to feature almost as much as regular No. 1 Keylor Navas, 900 minutes all told, with the Costa Rican just passing the 1,000 mark.
It's not viable for Madrid to have a second-class goalkeeper called upon so often and expect to still pick up consistent victories and clean sheets...as was evident by his most recent error, against Malaga at the weekend.
It's far from the first time Casilla has been at fault.
There have been long-standing rumours over Madrid going for a new first-choice goalkeeper, one of Europe's elite, but this year there has been far more noise surrounding a swoop for Athletic Club's Kepa Arrizabalaga. Marca's latest report suggests Madrid could move in January.
The 23-year-old Spanish stopper has proved himself over the last year in La Liga and has a big future—he'd be a good stepping stone between backing up Keylor this year, and eventually becoming first-choice in his own right.
He's also out of contract in the summer, so a January move would fill a required void and likely get him significantly cheaper.
Best: 1. Add a new striker
Even more than a new second goalkeeper, though, Real Madrid need a new option in the attacking line.
Selling both Alvaro Morata and Mariano Diaz in the summer and not bringing in anybody new was always madness, always asking for trouble, and so it has proved with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema struggling for goalscoring form domestically—and nobody of their elite standard to step in.
Whether Zidane continues with the 4-4-2 diamond or reverts to 4-3-3 once Gareth Bale is back to full fitness, Madrid need another top class striking option.
There have been rumours around a move for Mauro Icardi, per Marca, and the Inter Milan front man would provide a goal threat.
He could also pair with one of Ronaldo or Benzema in the two-man attack—but once more, as was the case with Morata, questions would sooner or later be asked of who is first-choice when all four forwards, along with Isco and Marco Asensio, were available to play.
Regardless of that problem, Madrid need another striker or they won't be retaining their trophies this year.
Worst: 4. Allowing Marcos Llorente to leave
While some loaning out of younger players might be wise, Zidane and the club hierarchy should resist the temptation to do so with Llorente.
The holding midfielder has only played 300 minutes so far in all competitions, but that small sample of game time has shown he is more than capable of holding his own in this squad, and it's a bit of a mystery he hasn't been handed more time, at least off the bench.
Casemiro is naturally first-choice, but he has had injury issues in previous campaigns, and there's also the small matter of the second half of the season to consider; in the past two years, Zidane has rotated the league side to keep the stars fresh for European glory, and Llorente would then have a huge role to play.
In a team as offensive-minded as most of Madrid's is, they need that extra balanced player in the centre of the park to stabilise and protect the side off the ball.
Llorente can still do that in the second half of the campaign.
Worst: 3. Chasing Neymar
It's probably not a rumour that has much credibility just a few months after his initial move, but the rumours are continuing so need to be addressed—even if Marca's latest suggestion is that the approach might be on hold until summer 2019.
Real Madrid do not need Neymar.
Real Madrid cannot sign Neymar, not right now, not with this current team.
For starters, fitting him into the Zidane diamond system wouldn't work. He won't replace Cristiano Ronaldo, can't play as a two-pronged striker with Ronaldo (and leaving out Bale) and in a 4-3-3, the same problem arises.
There's no way to shoehorn Cristiano and Neymar into the same team and still maintain balance and cohesion...and Isco, who deserves to be considered a guaranteed starter by now.
Quite aside from the financial implications of needing to sign a world-record player just months after he signed a long-term deal, there would also be an avalanche of arguments, media outcries and fans warring if the ex-Barcelona man moved to the Bernabeu so quickly.
For the sake of us all, as well as Madrid's own team, this must be a non-starter.
Worst: 2. Signing any No. 10
Real Madrid have in the past been known for making additions that aren't necessary, then trying to shoehorn them into the team—at the expense of others who are sound tactical parts of the XI, at times.
James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos, Isco, Wesley Sneijder—these are all examples of players who arrived as No. 10 playmakers, to one extent or another, down the last few years and promptly had their roles changed once at the Bernabeu.
Right now there's a reasonable balance between those who prefer to operate centrally but can also feature in the channels, supporting the attack and allowing the manager to change formations.
Isco, Asensio, Ceballos, Kovacic and others can all push into the 10 zone if needed, and in a 4-3-3 Real simply don't play with one at all.
Even if the best 10s in the world become available for some reason, Real Madrid should stick to their plan over the past few windows: sensible buying for positions that clearly need either an upgrade or better depth.
Worst: 1. Selling Gareth Bale
Finally, keeping hold of Bale should remain a priority.
Yes, he has had awful injury issues during his time at Madrid, but he has also scored plenty of important goals and gives the team a very different dimension when he's fit and in full flow.
A month from now it might not even be a consideration; he could come back, score a couple and aid a push up the table before the winter break and fans will forget they ever doubted him.
Diario Gol (h/t Manchester Evening News) report Florentino Perez "wishing he'd sold Bale" and wanting rid of him—but this would be a terrible piece of judgement. Bale continuously comes up for Madrid in big matches, including finals, and getting him back in the XI regularly should be the priority, not offloading him.
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