Real Madrid to keep Alphonse Areola for next season?

Real Madrid backup goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has impressed this season, and it sounds like the team could sign him permanently from PSG.

Thibaut Courtois has been exceptional in goal this season for Real Madrid, though, at one point, fans were wondering if he could be benched for Alphonse Areola.

The PSG goalkeeper joined Real on loan for the 2019-2020 season after former star keeper Keylor Navas made his way to Paris on a permanent transfer. Navas was too good to sit on the bench, and while the fans were skeptical, Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane wanted to stand by Courtois as the starter. And in the end, it’s a decision that absolutely paid off for Los Blancos.

As for Areola, he only received limited starts, but he played well enough to make an impression on the club.

According to a report from Agustin Martin of AS, Real Madrid are “impressed” with Areola, so a permanent move could take place once the goalkeeper’s current loan deal with Los Merengues ends on June 30. Per AS, Real could make Areola the backup behind Courtois for 2020-2021 with young keeper Andriy Lunin as the third-string option.

However, via Infinite Madrid, MARCA is reporting that if Areola stays in Madrid for the 2020-2021 season, then the Ukrainian keeper will be loaned again. There are reportedly “multiple” teams in Spain’s top flight who have interest in acquiring Lunin on loan, as the keeper is regarded as one of the best prospects in Europe.

Lunin needs to get more playing time, and it will interesting to see what Real Madrid plan for another goalkeeper who spent the 2019-2020 season on loan in Luca Zidane.

In Courtois, Areola, Lunin, and Zidane, Los Blancos have a solid collection of keepers. Courtois is one of the best in the world, but the others deserve some love, too. You won’t find many backups better than Areola, who showed his class a couple of times in the 2019-2020 season, including in a clean sheet against Osasuna.

Meanwhile, Lunin is a future star, and Zidane quietly had some massive performances this past season, making some jaw-dropping and critical penalty saves.

Courtois will always be the star man, but it’s great to see that Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid are high on Areola as a backup option. Playing in goal requires a great deal of confidence, especially at a club like Madrid. Areola immediately showed that confidence, memorably one-handing a cross on one occasion.