Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous reports that talk about French centre-back Raphael Varane not signing a contract extension when it’s time. I couldn’t help but wonder, that if he does leave, who replaces him? Who in the world is good enough to replace the great Raphael Varane? I mean, we’re talking about a world-cup winning centre-back here. They’re not that easy to come by. So, who are the three players that Real Madrid could buy, in case Varane is to leave?
Jules Kounde – Sevilla
Jules Kounde from Sevilla is probably the most realistic, possible and best choice for Real Madrid. The man is a really, really good defender. His passing is great, his positioning is amazing and his decision-making is almost always spot on. He is great on the ball which makes him an undoubted starter in games where teams press the hell out of Real Madrid, like Manchester City, Ajax, Liverpool, and even Spanish teams like Eibar.
Kounde is obviously insanely talented, and he has been one of the best defenders in the league for quite some time, forming a brilliant centre-back partnership with Diego Carlos. But the thing that probably is most important out of everything I’ve mentioned is that he has experience of actually playing in the league. That is very important, and now that he has the experience under his belt, the only way is up.
Jules Kounde is press-resistant, has so much potential, is a leader at the back, quick on the ball, quick off the ball, good decision making, great distribution. What more do you want? He’s only 22 years old. It’s scary how high his potential can go. There are a number of European clubs that would want to have a player like him in their team, and honestly speaking, I can’t blame them.
Hopefully, the potential offer (if that is to happen) is good enough to lure him to the capital of Spain, because if he goes to another top club, Real Madrid will lose out on a gem. There aren’t many of those like the Frenchman. We can talk all day about the Van Dijks and the Varanes and the Ramoses, but this guy? He’s next. He’ll be a future starter for France. Like I said, age and talent are on his side, and he deserves the recognition he is getting right now.