Real Madrid: Avoiding winter signings is a prudent policy

Although Real Madrid have been linked to winter moves such as Tottenham star Christian Eriksen, Los Blancos reportedly won’t make any moves in January 2020.

Real Madrid ushered in a summer of change, spending around 300 million euros to make sweeping upgrades to all levels of their squad, but especially their youth and depth. However, because of Real’s slow start in the Champions League and recent slip-up in La Liga, there have been plenty of rumors linking Los Blancos to more splash acquisitions in January.

The biggest name linked to Real Madrid is Christian Eriksen, who clearly has his mind outside of North London. Tottenham’s best playmaker is clearly not playing up to his usual standard, as he sought a move out of the Premier League this summer, eyeing Real as his landing spot.

Eriksen could make sense for Real if Florentino Perez doesn’t want to wait until the player’s contract expires in the summer, but it sounds like a deal won’t happen

That’s because Joaquin Maroto of AS reports that Perez has elected not to make any winter signings this year. It is a “firm” decision by Perez, as AS reports that the coaching staff informed him they have sufficient depth to cover every position on the pitch.

It’s already taken time for Real Madrid to gel on the pitch due to the volume of new signings. Some of those players, such as Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo, are finding their footing as key players in the squad. Others, such as Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic, are still integrating into the team to varying degrees.

Adding in more players in the winter would make Real’s squad stronger on paper, but it could make the team feel more disjointed. Having more depth could be beneficial due to how injury-prone the squad is with all the veteran players, but it’s also fair to wonder if it is even possible for Real’s injury luck to get any worse.

The emergence of young stars like Fede Valverde, Eder Militao, and Rodrygo eases the pressure on the club to make signings. And as for sales, the report states that Real will also avoid selling any regulars, though Isco could be an exception if the right suitor is found.

As exciting as new faces are, the likes of Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba have always made more sense in the summer. Real splashed plenty of cash this year on the likes of Hazard, and it’s unclear how much someone like, say, Eriksen would really help.

Playing it safe is the smart policy. Though an injury or certain happenstance could change things, Perez has the right approach here. Keep seeing how the current squad progresses and save some money before eyeing truly important acquisitions in the summer of 2020, specifically PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.