Is Real Madrid giving up on Theo Hernandez too soon?
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid could be staring at a €28 million failure. Reports from the Spanish capital have indicated that the club is looking for a possible landing place for depth fullback Theo Hernandez just one year after joining. Are Los Blancos making a mistake getting rid of him so quickly?
The higher-ups at the club are looking to offload 20-year-old left-back Theo after the former Atletico Madrid player underperformed in 2017/2018. While I didn’t think he was that bad when got the chance to actually play, Florentino Perez seems to disagree.
According to Marca, Real Madrid is awaiting transfer requests and or loan offers from clubs around Europe. Whether the reason for Real wanting to get rid of Theo is because of his underwhelming showing in his first season or their interest in Brazilian fullback Alex Telles is unknown.
But, one thing seems certain at this point: Theo Hernandez will likely not be returning to the Santiago Bernabeu this fall. After making 13 league appearances and four in the Copa Del Rey, it was clear that the brother to prolific defender Lucas was not everything the club had hoped for when they purchased him.
In my opinion, he wasn’t bad by any means, but when looking for a future replacement for one of the best fullbacks to play the game – Marcelo – Theo is not even minorly close to being able to fill his shoes.
Averaging 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game is by no means poor, but watching Hernandez try to flow down the wing and overlap on the attack like the prolific Marcelo was incredibly underwhelming.
One of the primary reasons the club is interested in Alex Telles is probably because of his significant contributions on the offensive side of the field while also playing good defense. The 25-year-old Brazilian scored three goals and led FC Porto in assists with 13 in 30 league matches.
Should Real Madrid be giving up on Theo this soon and looking for a replacement? I think they have a legitimate reason. When watching Telles play, it is clear to me from just watching his dribbling and crossing ability that he would fit perfectly in Real Madrid’s system.
If I were President Perez, I would be hesitant to turn around and sell Hernandez outright just one year after breaking the unspoken promise of not signing a player from crosstown rival’s, Atletico Madrid.
As the club has done before with both Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Morata, and Jesús Vallejo, sell him to a club outside of Spain, but ensure that a buyback clause is in place in case he suddenly develops into a world-class talent.
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In fact, why not loan him out to a lower tier club where he could be a regular starter? As I have said so many times before, young players can only hone their craft with regular minutes. Practicing amongst the best players in the world at one of the best facilities will only do so much.
It would be unwise of Real Madrid to give up on Theo Hernandez after just one season. Plus, with Julen Lopetegui taking over, maybe the left back can thrive under a new manager with new philosophies. Let’s see what ends up happening during the preseason and go from there.