Real Madrid: Eduardo Camavinga must be a priority over Paul Pogba

Real Madrid are in desperate need of a backup defensive midfielder.

After failing to sign Manchester United’s Paul Pogba last season, the entire ‘Pogba to Real Madrid’ drama seemed to have cooled down and evaporated into thin air, especially after the way Fede Valverde burst onto the scene with his immensely impressive outings. It seemed like Zinedine Zidane had found his Pogba in Valverde.

However, over the last few months, reports have resurfaced that state that Zidane has reignited his pursuit of the Manchester United midfielder.

It’s no secret that Zidane loves Paul Pogba and wanted to sign him last season, only for things to not materialize, which probably left the Real Madrid head coach fuming.

Real Madrid have a handful of central midfielders loaned out to top clubs in and around Spain. Some of them have a future in Madrid, while some of them will be sold without blinking an eye. Although one cannot deny that the loaned out midfielders (Ceballos, Oscar, and Ødegaard) are nowhere near the Frenchman in terms of pure ability, Ødegaard is someone who has unlimited potential and is primed to be a starter once he returns from Real Sociedad next summer.

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Paul Pogba would cost somewhere around €100 million. President Florentino Pérez has already clarified that Real Madrid wouldn’t make any ‘big signings’ this season.

That’s where Eduardo Camavinga enters the scene. Real Madrid were clearly fortunate with Casemiro, as he played the most minutes in the squad and was the natural defensive midfielder in the squad.

The sale of Marcos Llorente to Atlético Madrid and Fede Valverde’s prowess as a box-to-box midfielder rather than a second-choice defensive midfielder meant that Casemiro was heavily relied upon to play as the shield to the back four.

Injuries can happen to anyone at any time, more so if the player isn’t afforded regular rest. Casemiro playing relentless football without suffering an injury was a one-in-a-million probability, and that is one of the things that worked in Real Madrid’s favour as they lifted the league trophy.

At 28, Casemiro isn’t getting any younger, and he cannot get through another season without injuries. He is one of the most important players from a tactical standpoint, and his loss to injury, even temporarily, could be cataclysmic for Los Blancos.

Signings would be made from next season, and Real Madrid’s midfield for 2021-22 would comprise of Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Fede Valverde, Isco, Luka Modrić (if his contract is extended), Martin Ødegaard, and possibly Oscar Rodriguez (Villarreal seems to be his destination and he could return if a buy-back clause is inserted).

Eduardo Camavinga would not cost as much as Paul Pogba would, and the fact of the matter is that the former is relatively young, which means the money invested in him could turn out to be a bargain.

Camavinga would easily agree to play a squad role for a few years initially, slowly making his way into the XI and transitioning into the first-choice holding midfielder once Casemiro enters his eventual decline (the later it happens, the better).

With Pogba in the squad, it would be really easy to disturb the harmony of the squad. Everyone is happy with the role they have, but Pogba’s arrival would mean fewer minutes for Luka Modrić, and even fewer minutes for the increasingly indispensable Fede Valverde. Giving Pogba the luxury of playing week in, week out at the expense of stymieing Fede Valverde would be unacceptable, not to forget that he would bring his popularity within the footballing fraternity to a dressing room that is united.

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Every Madridista is worried about the next season since the pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works. Real Madrid’s short-term solution would be to sign a natural backup for Casemiro on loan (Marc Roca of Getafe or Baptiste Santamaria of Angers SCO are the best options) or promote Real Madrid Castilla’s Antonio Blanco.

I hope Zizou can be clever and wise, otherwise, I will be shocked but not at all surprised.

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