The Real Champs
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Real Madrid: Grading each summer signing before Champions League knockouts

By Ali Al Hassan

MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 06: Rodrygo Goes of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring his third goal during the UEFA Champions League group A match between Real Madrid and Galatasaray at Bernabeu on November 06, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 06: Rodrygo Goes of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring his third goal during the UEFA Champions League group A match between Real Madrid and Galatasaray at Bernabeu on November 06, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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MADRID, SPAIN – DECEMBER 22: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Ferland Mendy of Real Madrid CF controls the ball during the Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Athletic Club Bilbao at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on December 22, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – DECEMBER 22: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Ferland Mendy of Real Madrid CF controls the ball during the Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Athletic Club Bilbao at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on December 22, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Ferland Mendy – A

What a signing Ferland Mendy proved to be! The French left-back arrived from Olympique Lyon for 48 million Euros as a backup to Marcelo. It took some time until we were able to see him start and even though his Real Madrid career started off quite shaky, he has improved drastically with each passing game.

Ferland Mendy is now a starter at the team ahead of Marcelo after the Brazilian’s form took a massive hit at the same time that Mendy’s form took flight. Things could change as the season goes on but judging by the past few months, Mendy has made the left-back position his while Marcelo has to settle for a spot on the bench.

The 24-year-old still has a lot of room for improvement and it’s scary to think about what could happen a year or two from now. Mendy has made the position his to lose and he doesn’t look like he’s willing to lose it anytime soon! Many were against his signature since Sergio Reguilon has proven to be capable but it looks like we’ll be seeing the two compete for the left-back position next season.

Alphonse Areola – C+

Arriving on a one-year loan from PSG after Keylor Navas went the other way permanently, Alphonse Areola probably wasn’t someone Zidane wanted in the first place. Due to time constraints though, this was the easiest choice and Areola is more than good enough to be a backup goalkeeper for any of the big teams.

dark. Next. Ferland Mendy has earned the starting spot

We saw a lot of him earlier in the season while Thibaut Courtois was struggling with form but ever since the Belgian has found the best form of his career, Areola had to settle for playing strictly in the Copa del Rey. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing a lot more of him in the coming months after Real Madrid were knocked out of the cup competition and he’s a player that will almost definitely be heading back to Paris once the season is over.

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