Real Madrid: 5 long-running problems the club must address this year

Addressing the midfield depth

Because of the economic situation caused by COVID-19, Real Madrid were unable to make any signings in the 2020 summer transfer window. A possible, affordable signing the could have made was Espanyol’s Marc Roca, who decided to make the unwise decision to join Bayern Munich, where sitting on the bench has been his new position.

Roca was just one suggestion, though. Los Blancos could have signed a different midfielder as depth, because they are in a situation where they only have a handful of midfielders they can rely on for the 2021-2022 season.

Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Fede Valverde, and Martin Odegard are all as good as they come. But Real are still in need of a true defensive midfield backup to Case. Beyond that, we’ve seen injuries pile up this season. Assuming Isco is sold, Real can’t walk in to the next season with just five available midfield options. What happens if Fede and Odegaard get injured at the same time again?

Antonio Blanco is a great option to call up and play minutes in midfield, and he could be a simple solution. I wouldn’t blame Real Madrid if they actually go out and sign someone to help, though. Dani Ceballos isn’t an inspiring option, so it would be preferable to sign Eduardo Camavinga, if he is in the budget, over recalling Ceballos on loan. But even if Ceballos isn’t great, he’s not terrible either. He’s a passable backup for Los Merengues and better than nothing.

Either way, Real need to think hard about their long-term outlook in midfield. Valverde, Blanco, and Odegaard are the only real young, promising players they have in the middle of the park. If he’s an achievable target financially, Camavinga is the dream, long-term option.