Who can replace Danilo at Real Madrid?
By Ahmed Genina
The departure of Danilo is quite possible this transfer window. Let’s take a look at some players who can serve as a proper back-up for the Brazilian.
Real Madrid have been bolstering their squad this summer with several signings. The whole defensive line of the so-called “B team” is almost an entirely new one. With new names like Theo Hernandez and Jesus Vallejo, Real look to improve upon their already superb depth.
Danilo rarely proved himself worthy of the white jersey, let alone justifying of his price tag. His likely departure after two seasons in the Spanish capital is quite natural, especially after his disastrous performance in the Copa Del Rey against Celta De Vigo last season.
Rumor has it that the full back is about to sign with Chelsea. If the Brazilian indeed leaves Madrid this summer, who can replace him?
1. Héctor Bellerín
Many consider the Arsenal full back as the brightest Spanish talent in his position. Such a deal would be affordable for Los Blancos. It would also be in line with the President’s recent trend of recruiting the best young Spanish talent in the game. Furthermore, the Spaniard was since the end of last season, and until very recently, one of Barcelona’s main targets in the transfer market, as the Catalan team has been suffering in the right back position since the departure of Dani Alves. This is all the more reason to sign Bellerin. For a player to sign for Real Madrid to fill in as a backup, rather than be a starter in Barcelona.
Furthermore, since the end of last season, and until very recently, Bellerín has been one of Barcelona’s main targets in the transfer market, as the Catalan side has been suffering in the right- back position since the departure of Dani Alves. This is all the more reason to sign Bellerín. For a player to sign for Real Madrid to fill in as a backup, rather than be a starter in Barcelona. It would further solidify Los Blancos’ position as the superior team in Spain.
The downside, however, wasn’t that Bellerín wasn’t very good last season. After two great seasons with the Gunners, his performance in the ’16/’17 season was disappointing. Yet, Bellerín is young (22) and has proved he is a very talented player, so he has time to develop. Shelling out 30-50 million Euros for a young Spanish player and allowing him to develop within the walls of the Royal Club seems to me like a smart business move.
2.Álvaro Odriozola
The Real Sociedad defender is a player not many have heard of. Here’s a quick overview of who Odriozola is: He was the substitute right back for Spain in this summer’s U21 Euros, and he was called up for the national team after just 4 months of play for Sociedad. In those 4 months, he snatched up 4 assists and 13 key passes. That’s 1.19 chances created per 90 mins, according to Squawka.com.
Odriozola seems like a bargain to me, his release clause is 30 million euros. Even if we suppose Sociedad somehow force Real to pay Odriozola’s full release clause, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal. He has high potential, he’s Spanish, and he is young.
The only downside to this deal, in my opinion, is that Madridistas (especially the non-Spanish ones) might take some time before they pronounce his name correctly unless we decide to abbreviate his name to something like Odri.
3. Lucas Vázquez
Probably the most unorthodox way to have a backup for Carvajal, yet it’s my favorite. Vasquez’s main qualities have been very obvious since his first day in Madrid’s first team. He has speed, flair and a very high defensive awareness. His biggest cons, however, are aerial duels (since he is relatively short) and finishing. To me, this seems like a very fine recipe for a full back.
Also given the amount of players Madrid have at the front, Vasquez will have a very hard time finding minutes next season. Moreover, in a 4-3-3 formation like the one Zidane uses, wingers have to be good finishers, so Vasquez’s finishing puts him at an even bigger disadvantage.
Personally, I believe this is the best way to keep Vasquez at Real Madrid and at the same time give him enough minutes throughout the season. What’s more, it also solves the “depth overload” problem Real currently has in the midfield. Once Vasquez moves to defense, Real would have 6 players in front of the defense, with exactly 6 players rotating with them. Everybody walks away happy and satisfied.
Next: Real Madrid preseason training update – day 3: Zidane keeps a watchful eye