Julen Lopetegui Reportedly Wants New Players at Real Madrid Before Deadline

Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui is reportedly keen to add new faces to his squad before the end of the Spanish transfer window on August 31 despite suggesting publicly that he's happy with his options. 

According to Carlos Forjanes of AS, while Lopetegui said following the 4-2 UEFA Super Cup loss to Atletico Madrid that "I do not think the club's policy changes much because of this game," he has made it clear he wants to bolster his squad with new signings behind the scenes.

"Concretely, he wants a centre-forward, a central defender and a physical midfielder," Forjanes said. "He has [14] days until the transfer window closes to reinforce his squad." It is reported that the manager's position has been strengthened after Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid. 

According to Forjanes, Lopetegui has consequently "launched an SOS" to the Madrid hierarchy because he "needs new players now."

Depth does appear to be an issue for Madrid. Against Atletico, the manager called on Dani Ceballos—who started just four games in La Liga last season—to replace the injured Casemiro, while Borja Mayoral was the only other centre-forward in the squad besides Karim Benzema.

This summer, Los Blancos haven't been too active in the transfer window, with Thibaut Courtois and Alvaro Odriozola their main acquisitions. Vinicius Junior has also become a part of the squad, although his signing was announced in 2017.

In addition, Madrid have also lost Cristiano Ronaldo, the club's all-time top goalscorer, to Juventus. Following the defeat to Atletico on Wednesday, Casemiro admitted that Los Blancos missed the Portugual international during the match, per Football Espana.

In addition to Lopetegui, the supporters are also said to be keen to see some new players come in before August 31:

For the manager, stepping in to replace a Real Madrid icon like Zinedine Zidane, who won three UEFA Champions League titles in his three years as manager, was always going to be a huge challenge. With Ronaldo out of the squad, it is an even tougher ask for the former Spain boss.

While Courtois arguably represents an upgrade on Keylor Navas in goal, crucial areas of the squad have not been refreshed, and vital players like Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Benzema are another year older too.

There will be an onus on younger players to step up, with Marco Asensio one player tipped for a big season. 

As journalist Mootaz Chehade noted, Atletico's squad cost more than that of their great rivals:

The issue Lopetegui has when it comes to incoming players is that teams will be reluctant to sell key men at this juncture. With the Premier League transfer window closed, the division's clubs wouldn't be able to replace stars they could sell to Madrid, either.

It means that Lopetegui will likely be tasked with cutting down the gap to Barcelona and Atletico without a direct replacement for Ronaldo. If he can do so, it would be quite the feat.