What we can expect at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane this summer
2. Defenders
This point is a little bit trickier. Solari made it clear that his favorite back-four are Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos and Sergio Reguilon. The young left-back was not part of the squad during Zidane’s time and he has really shown that he can hold his own weight at the club, benching Marcelo in the process.
With Marcelo apparently unhappy and looking to leave in the summer due to the lack of matches, Zidane may want to actually keep him and give him more time. Marcelo admitted earlier this season that he has given everything to Zidane and I’m sure that is something we’ll see again with the return of the manager.
Another arrival last summer was Alvaro Odriozola who has also been one of the bright lights of the season and I personally do not see any reason why the Spaniard would not be a player Zidane wants to work with. He’s young and extremely talented but has a lot to learn and Zidane is a perfect mentor to have.
Our other two center-backs, Jesus Vallejo and Nacho Fernandez have been struggling this season and I don’t expect both of them to stay beyond the summer. While Nacho will probably still be in the squad next season, I don’t see such luck happening for Vallejo who has constantly been struggling with injuries since joining the club.
We also have to keep in mind that there are two players on loan which Zidane will need to keep in mind. Achraf Hakimi still has another full season at Borussia Dortmund and I don’t see why the club would rush to bring him back while Theo Hernandez is at Real Sociedad on a year-long loan before returning this summer but unfortunately, I simply don’t see any space for him in the squad anymore.
I think it’s safe to assume that Real Madrid will want to buy another central defender and there has been a lot of talk surrounding Mario Hermoso from Espanyol as well as Eder Miltao from FC Porto. Either one of them could end up being part of the Los Blancos squad in the coming season but I would personally rather see Perez go and fight for Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax unless rumors could be true about him agreeing to join Liverpool or even Barcelona alongside Frenkie De Jong.