Real Madrid Should Stop the Kylian Mbappe Chase

If you search “Mbappe” on Twitter, you would be forgiven if you think that he is a Real Madrid player – or at least a Real Madrid player on loan to Paris Saint-Germain. For a few years now, Madridistas have patiently waited for the summer of 2021 as they will finally get Kylian Mbappe and somehow, that will mean that all is okay in the world. The Coronavirus Pandemic mixed with the finances spent on the new stadium have made that dream a difficult one to achieve and with the French forward publicly announcing that he is considering a contract extension, the time is almost here for Real Madrid to pick up whatever respect they have left in this saga and move on.

Football did not begin with Kylian Mbappe nor will it end with him.

Real Madrid are going through a rough patch (to say the least) while still publicly saying that they have a good enough squad to fight for the titles.

So far, they have been knocked out of the Spanish Super Cup by Athletic Bilbao and then the team was given a massive wake-up call after being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third-division side Alcoyano. The only competitions left for them to possibly win are La Liga (they currently sit seven points behind arguably the best Atletico Madrid side in recent history who also have an extra game-in-hand) and the UEFA Champions League where they will take on Atalanta in February.

They have failed to use Luka Jovic, who was finally sent away on loan back to Eintracht Frankfurt, but more importantly, they have completely disregarded the gem they have in Martin Odegaard who will be moving to Arsenal on loan. The squad – as good as they possibly are – won’t make it to the end of the season in one piece as the rotation system is looking less and less possible for Zinedine Zidane as he gets rid of some of his most promising youngsters.

Real Madrid  are no longer the main economic powerhouse in Europe

As much as I would love to see Mbappe wearing the Real Madrid jersey, it has become clear that he realizes he’s in control to a very large extent and he has been able to keep Real Madrid waiting. What’s important to note here though is that Real Madrid never acknowledged their pursuit of the Frenchman publicly but it’s not a secret that they would love to have him at the club. However, Mbappe doesn’t fix all our problems.

Yes, Mbappe would add a lot when going forward. He has a lot of pace and his abilities are extraordinary to say the least. He’s easily one of the best players in the world and is waiting his turn to win the Balon d’Or in the next few years – which makes it even more strange why he is at PSG. Having said that, if Real Madrid are able to bring Mbappe to the club (that is a massive “if”), then that will leave very little room for them to bring in other needed players. Even if he is brought in for free in the summer of 2022, the amount that will be spent on wages will be astronomical.

This brings up another idea: Imagine the current Real Madrid team inclusive of Sergio Reguilon, Achraf Hakimi, Martin Odegaard, Dani Ceballos, and Luka Jovic. I personally would prefer that over just one addition in Kylian Mbappe. At one point, we had them all – now it remains to be seen if any will return.

Real Madrid are no longer the powerhouse that they once were, especially with the individually funded teams such as PSG and Manchester City. Mix that in with the current economical situation due to the pandemic and you have a problem that needs immediate attention. Florentino Perez has done quite well in regards to investing in youngsters that could become the best in the world rather than bringing in ready-made players for 100+ million Euros.

Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Takefusa Kubo, Odegaard, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, etc. are all part of the plan and even though some have done well at the club so far, Zidane hasn’t been using them to their potential. It’s also worth noting though that the club has done incredibly well when choosing the clubs to loan them out to. Real Sociedad was a magnificent location for Odegaard last season while Getafe seems to be going well for Kubo.

In the end, as exciting as it is to have Kylian Mbappe at the club, we don’t need him right now and if he continues to play hard-ball or chooses to be with PSG for the long-term, then that’s fine. Real Madrid need to spend their money in places that need to be fixed. The defensive midfield position only has Carlos Casemiro and if the rumors are true surrounding the arrival of David Alaba, then that would be helpful but the Austrian is not a natural DM.

Real Madrid need to go back to having a plan. They went through a summer of not purchasing anyone in 2020 with a vision towards 2021 that seems to be fading away. Whatever they decide to do, continuing with the current squad past next summer is suicidal. Things need to change and they need to be changed fast. If Zidane is not the right man to lead that project, bring in someone else. Make the tough decisions and let Real Madrid return to being a team that was feared rather than a team that is looked down on by the current European powerhouses.

This season may be a “throwaway” but it will only be acceptable if Real Madrid make the needed changes in the summer.