With Morata gone, Real Madrid should go all-in on Kylian Mbappé

Real Madrid offloaded a bunch of attacking players, and Florentino Pérez has a fat wad of cash burning a hole in his pocket. Real Madrid will be looking to make at least one more big splash this summer. Here’s why they should go all-in to sign Kylian Mbappé.

Real Madrid had a depth problem last season, but not the kind you’d think. Real Madrid had too many players competing for too few spots. James Rodriguez, an attacking midfielder,  Alvaro Morata, a striker, and Mariano Diaz, another striker, all struggled to find a way into Zidane’s regular rotation.

But now, the attacking roster is three players lighter. Morata was sold to Chelsea, James loaned to Bayern, and Mariano off to Lyon. Rather than try to replace all three players, Real Madrid would do well to sign just one player who can play a versatile role across the attacking line.

Who better for that role than young Kylian Mbappé?

The French striker plays for AS Monaco FC, and lit up both Ligue 1 and the Champions League last year. He helped Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and to the Champions League semifinals. There, he became the first player to score on Gigi Buffon in the Champions League that season, earning him a kiss from the veteran Italian keeper for his efforts.

At just 18 years old, Mbappé already has an outrageous goalscoring record. Real Madrid have the opportunity to lock down a star who could become a club legend and a generational talent. With Ronaldo and Benzema not getting any younger, Kylian Mbappé could represent Real Madrid’s future.

And Real Madrid have the money to do it, too. Madrid reportedly raised nearly €80 million from the sale of Morata, and an additional €30 million from the sale of Danilo. That puts them at €110 million just from those two players alone. Given that Monaco value Mbappé at €130 million, Real Madrid could easily raise the cash for a world-record bid to pry him away.

Mbappé the flexible attacker.

The one trait that makes Mbappé the perfect replacement for the outgoing players on Madrid’s lineup is his flexibility.

As Michael Cox of ESPN FC writes, Mbappé represents a new class of attacking players whose versatility makes them an offensive threat anywhere they play. When Mbappé’s Monaco and Cristian Pulisic’s Dortmund faced off in the Champions League quarterfinals, Cox described both of these players as: “curiously complete players, perfect for the this era of universality in which footballers are no longer expected to be specialists in one role, but instead capable of providing numerous different qualities.”

This versatility would be a huge asset at Madrid. Madrid’s offensive setup relies on interchanging positions in attacking play.

Benzema and Ronaldo are more and more playing in a two-striker setup, as seen in the tweet below against Alaves. Benzema has never been the fastest player, and while Ronaldo can certainly still turn on the jets for short distances, his pace is not what it once was. This means that pace on counter-attacks is increasingly coming from the likes of Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio.

Because he can play both out wide and more centrally, Mbappé would be the perfect complement to Madrid’s existing attacking players.

The end of the BBC?

Many have speculated that the signing of Mbappé would require one of Madrid’s famous BBC trident to be sold off. Some have wondered whether Madrid would be better off breaking up the BBC.

I think all of these conversations are going about it the wrong way. Zidane may talk about the indispensability of the BBC, but at the end of the day, his mantra is all about flexibility. His ability to make wholesale changes from game-to-game during Madrid’s La Liga / Champions League double last season demonstrated a new approach to football, one built around the fluid interchange of players both on the pitch and in squad rosters.

The idea of the BBC as a set-in-stone attacking trident may need to be replaced, but that need not require replacing any of those three players. Benzema, Ronaldo, Bale, Mbappé, and Asensio can all rotate for positions across the attacking line. Five players competing for three spots is not an unreasonable way to plan for the season. (Note: I’m assuming in this scenario that Borja Mayoral is going out on loan, because, well, he probably is.)

Mbappé would provide the perfect partner to play alongside either Benzema or Ronaldo when Madrid play a 4-4-2. While he has played more centrally of late for Monaco, he also has the pace and explosiveness to beat people out wide. That flexibility makes him, according to Andrew Gibney from Football Whispers, “perfect for Real Madrid.”

He also could form one of two wider players in a three-pronged attacking trident at the top of a 4-3-3, occupying the left side of the pitch with Gareth Bale or Marco Asensio roaming on the right. That would allow either Benzema, or, more likely, Ronaldo, to play in the center.

There will be some combinations of players that work better than others. There will be different combinations according to who is injured, who is in need of rest, and whose skills can be best utilized in certain games. But having Mbappé as one of the cards in Zidane’s deck is an option just too irresistible to pass up.

Balancing depth and class.

It’s hard to strike the perfect balance between having enough players to provide depth for a demanding club season, and having world-class players willing to sit on the bench until they are called upon.

Having both Morata and James on the bench last season was an embarrassment of riches that, while certainly luxurious, was not a reasonable arrangement either player. Bringing in one Kylian Mbappé to replace all of Madrid’s outgoing attackers would be the perfect balance between keeping sufficient depth of world-class superstars and not overloading the roster. Having one superstar who occasionally has to ride the bench rather than two superstars (Morata and James) and a true squad player (Mariano) provides a much better balance for Madrid’s squad moving forward.

Real Madrid will have to compete on myriad fronts. Winning the Champions League and the La Liga title means an additional two Super Cup competitions, plus the Club World Cup. Add those to an already grueling schedule of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League fixtures, not to mention all the meaningless friendlies, and you’re talking about the need to distribute some serious minutes.

Because Madrid has been in back-to-back Champions League finals, their players have enjoyed shorter summer breaks two years in a row.  Injuries and exhaustion will play a part in ensuring everyone in the roster gets plenty of time. James and Morata provided Madrid serious attacking numbers, so their goals and assists will need to be replaced from somewhere.

At just eighteen, Mbappé doesn’t need to play every single game. But he has the quality to be trusted in the biggest moments and on the biggest stages.

Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid is a story written in the stars.

Real Madrid would be the perfect fit for Mbappé, and not just from a tactical perspective.

You hear “I had posters of him in my bedroom” so often from players, it begins to sound like a cliché. But, no, really, Kylian Mbappé literally has had posters of Cristiano Ronaldo in his bedroom since he was a kid:

By all accounts, Mbappé really loves Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. He also really looks up to Zinedine Zidane, and has called him “the greatest player in the history of France.”

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How cool would it be if Kylian Mbappé got to grow up as a footballer under the tutelage of his two childhood idols Zidane and Ronaldo?

Real Madrid are moving away from a true “Galacticos” policy, where they spend tons of cash to sign the biggest established player available on the transfer market. Madrid is still spending money on superstars like Gareth Bale, but they are also balancing those signings with lots of quality young players who can develop at Madrid.

In Mbappé, Real Madrid would not have to choose between signing a young player and signing a Galactico. Mbappé is already a superstar, but he also represents Madrid’s increasing trend toward signing youth.

Real Madrid shouldn’t let this opportunity pass them by. If Mbappé gets bought up by another one of Europe’s top clubs, Real Madrid may have to pay double or triple for his signature in a few years. With Morata gone, it’s time for Real Madrid to go all-in to sign Mbappé.

Next: Morata completes Chelsea move, leaves Real Madrid

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more on the summer transfer market.