Is Lautaro Martinez even the right fit?
So this point is something of a combination of the first two and really brings home the risk of spending potentially close to 100 million euros on Lautaro Martinez to bring him in from the current Serie A Champions.
Let’s look at both points in isolation first to reiterate. One, Real Madrid need a goal-scoring wide forward on the left or, preferably, right side who can play in their 4-3-3. Two, Real have a young striker out on loan who once scored 27 goals in a season, but he did not get much of a chance with Los Blancos because of his playing style and the system.
Therefore, Lautaro would need to do one of two things in order to be a success at Real Madrid. He would either need to be able to transition to being a wide forward and effectively score goals from the wings, or he would need to assimilate into the team and prove he can help Los Blancos shift to a two-striker formation with Benzema.
There is risk involved with both. Because while Lautaro is a fast player who has skill on the ball, we’ve never seen him excel as a winger at the highest level. In the second case, if Zidane wasn’t willing to accommodate Jovic in a new system or tailor thing to his playing style after apparently wanting him for 60 million euros, then can we guarantee Lautaro would be treated any differently?
Signing Lautaro would be a huge investment, especially during the pandemic. If Real Madrid do not commit to him, then they could very well make another expensive mistake.