Q&A: Our predictions for Real Madrid’s upcoming season
Zidane promised big changes and with the transfer window closing soon, we can pretty much see what our team looks like for next year. What are your thoughts on Real Madrid’s transfer dealings?
Ben Sundock: This is one of the best summer transfer windows I think I have ever seen for Los Blancos. Bringing in promising players like Rodrygo and Kubo while also addressing the need for a star player, depth striker, and youth in the defense, this could not have gone better. Keeping James Rodriguez will not be discussed a ton, but is a great, season changing move for the club.
Hasan Karim: The window has been largely solid, Eden Hazard is a star forward that we’ve needed for sometime, Luka Jovic is the future star that has the potential to be the box predator Real lost in Cristiano and I also firmly believe Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy could be two of the best in defence for sometime to come. Alongside them, the introductions and future potential of Takefusa Kubo and Rodrygo Goes is also incredibly exciting. Coupled with some of the already established stars, the window brought in a very good blend of talent to complement the already existing squad. Perhaps the main concern is the lack of depth in the defensive midfield position.
Ali Al-Hassan: June was a FUN month wasn’t it? People say that things slightly went downhill since then as Real Madrid brought in Hazard, Mendy, Militao and Jovic but then had to sell and things didn’t go as planned with other purchases. Honestly, I can say I’m happy with our transfers overall as Hazard and Jovic are vital additions to this team while Militao and Mendy will add a lot of solutions to our backline. Having said that, I found myself getting sucked into the media rumors and everything that was being said. I got a little greedy to be honest and my hopes were high on Paul Pogba but that didn’t happen unfortunately. The positive news though is that it looks like James Rodriguez is here to stay!
Nithanth Ravindran: Based on the promises Zizou made, I don’t see many changes until now at-least on the personnel front. While our transfer window has been good and can be great with the arrival of a midfielder, it remains to be seen how many of these players will be part of the main team. Overall though, quite satisfied with the window we have had except for the departure of some players like Marcos Llorente who could still have played a part in the upcoming season especially with Casemiro having no replacement in the squad.
Aakanksha Sharma: Madrid did some good business by bringing in Hazard, Jovic, Mendy, Militao in quick succession. Problem is, barring Hazard, none of them is a sure-shot starter or first-teamer. Madrid has had this issue for a while – they invested in youth and expected them to take over in due course. It worked till 2017 since the senior core of the team – Ronaldo, Ramos, Modric, Marcelo, Benzema – were at their peak and carried the team. The youngsters were mostly substitutes and brought in the fresh legs, enthusiasm & a bit of flair when needed. They were shielded from excessive pressure and hence were able to contribute to team’s success.
Yasheel Vyas: Real Madrid had an amazing transfer window in my opinion with Hazard, Mendy, Jovic and Militao all coming in a single window. This addressed the major issues the team had last season but probably a midfield signing would cap off a perfect transfer window. Losing out on Pogba was a big blow but there’s still Van de Beek and Eriksen available. There are of course the Neymar rumours and if somehow we end up getting him it would probably the best transfer window after 2009 if it already isn’t. The team still needs to sell a few players and not being able to sell Bale was a big blow. Keeping Nacho over Vallejo was a bad decision as well as former is totally out of form. The squad is not as good as what Barcelona has but still is good enough to be competing for the title and being able to win against other 17 teams comfortably.
AJ Desai: Mendy, Hazard, Jovic, Goes, and Miltao. On paper this is a very good window. Hazard was the best player in the EPL. Jovic single handily carried Eintracht Frankfurt. Mendy has quicker feet than Marcelo, and he is not afraid to get dirty. These signings have got what it takes. All of this and what lineups we will see, depends on Zidane.
Ali Malik: It’s a shame that after making so many signings it seems the ultimate theme of the summer will be defined by our inability to get Pogba. He was actually a really important signing because like Hazard he was one who would slot straight into the line-up. He was also likely to play Kroos’ position which would have given us a better solution to the lack of athleticism Kroos has and perhaps could have helped our defensive shape. The other transfers addressed concerns in the squad but they’re work in progress type signings not immediate starters (Mendy perhaps might be though). Hence, dealings wise while it was good in its own right we did not get enough to usher in big change. This is very worrying in terms of outlook for our season.