Real Madrid could be in the market for some help on defense in the summer 2021 transfer market. Marcelo could need replacing, and perhaps Real want to sign someone in addition to Miguel Gutierrez. There is also uncertainty at center back with Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane both potentially on the way out.
But it is more likely for Los Blancos to pursue a right back. Dani Carvajal’s season-ending injury is a reminder of the need at the position. Even if Lucas Vazquez is re-signed, Real could try to sign a replacement for Alvaro Odriozola, who has not earned Zinedine Zidane’s trust.
So let’s take a look at five right back options who could help supplement the injury-prone Carvajal.
Inter RB/RM Achraf Hakimi
Let’s start with a familiar face in Achraf Hakimi. But first, let’s explain why it is unlikely Real Madrid will be able to re-sign the Inter Milan star. Los Blancos have hope, because they own the “right of first refusal” after selling the promising Moroccan international to the Serie A champions this past summer.
The issue is that Inter are not under any obligation to sell, just to give Real the chance to match any offer they receive from anyone else. And why would Inter even consider selling Hakimi? He ha been vital to their Scudetto-winning season, recording seven goals and seven assists as the right wing back in Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2.
Hakimi could be a huge help for Real Madrid if there is a chance at signing him, and many fans do want him back.
Valencia RB Thierry Correia
Now let’s go a little closer to home in La Liga. Valencia may sell some more players this summer after gutting their squad last year, and they are truly in dire straits with fans protesting owner Peter Lim’s “leadership”.
A lot of the focus will be on left back Jose Gaya if he is available, but Real Madrid may have interest in Thierry Correia. The young Portuguese international is clocked as one of the fastest players in La Liga, and he impresses every time I watch the Bats.
Correia is not yet the finished product, but the 22-year-old has real potential and could be a new project to replace Alvaro Odriozola behind Dani Carvajal. Out of the five options on this list, Correia is the least proven, but he is exciting and would likely be the cheapest.
According to WhoScored.com, Correia has 1.3 fouls drawn per game, a dribble completed per game, and 1.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game. He’s done very well on a struggling Valencia side and could be a breakout star soon. At worst, he is a player whom Madridistas should be monitoring in the final few games of the 2020-2021 season. Perhaps he will make an impression on Real Madrid management.
Wolfsburg RB/RM Ridle Baku
Wolfsburg have two excellent right-sided players in Kevin Mbabu and Ridle Baku, who have helped this team get into a position where they can make it to the Champions League next season after being eliminated from the Europa League play-in last year.
Switzerland international Mbabu is the more defensive player and has been spotlighted on lists like these before, while Baku is one of Germany’s most exciting talents. Baku is similar to Achraf Hakimi, in the sense that he is more of an attacking right back or wing back, and he suits the Bundesliga really well with his intense style. But as Hakimi showed us, that kind of style can suit any league.
Baku is a great talent. At 23, he has six goals and five assists for Wolfsburg this season as an important attacking outlet for Oliver Glasner’s side. He averages 1.3 key passes per game, 1.2 dribbles completed per game, and 1.1 fouls drawn per game and has been a very consistent player for Wolfsburg despite his youth.
There may be concerns about his defending and inexperience, but I think he is better at defending than Alvaro Odriozola and does not look lost at all in the attack. Baku may not be at the top of the list, but he is intriguing enough to discuss.
Lille RB Mehmet Zeki Celik
Lille are on the cusp of winning Ligue 1, which many saw as an impossible feat given PSG’s financial power and recent dominance of French football. But with Burak Yilmaz standing out as the player of the season, a strong defense, a world-class goalkeeper in Mike Maignan, and plenty of young attacking talent like Jonathan David, Lille have what it takes to win it all.
And in addition to all those celebrated players, Lille have a breakout star at the right back position in Mehmed Zeki Celik. One of their impressive Turkish players, Celik has established himself as one of the best players at the position in Ligue 1 at the age of 23.
Unlike Ridle Baku and Achraf Hakimi, Celik does not finish off many attacking moves, though he does have five total goal contributions in the league in 27 appearances. Celik can help out in the attack, but he is mostly an asset to Lille defensively. And he’s a rather significant reason for their defensive solidity, which has buoyed them to their excellence in Ligue 1.
Celik averages 2.4 tackles per game and 1.2 interceptions per game. He is the best defender on this list of five, and that may appeal to Real Madrid the most. Yes, Los Blancos like to have fullbacks who help the attack a lot, but they should have Lucas Vazquez as an option. So maybe to counteract that, they’d prefer a more defensively solid option. You can’t beat Celik there.
RB Leipzig RB Nordi Mukiele
Like Lille’s Celik, RB Leipzig young defender Nordi Mukiele is one of my favorite right backs in European football. The French international is another Bundesliga standout, except he’s been at the top of his game for two seasons in Germany’s top flight.
Mukiele is not without his flaws (his 76.9 percent passing accuracy is a question mark at the Real Madrid level), but he is a very good all-around right back and probably the most balanced of the players on this list. He is adequate defensively and very competent when it comes to supporting attacks with ball-carrying and crossing.
So far this season, Mukiele has five goals and one assist in all competitions, and his propensity for scoring offers intriguing upside to Real Madrid, considering how starved they are for goals at pretty much any position other than “No. 9”.
The best way to describe the 23-year-old is “solid”. He’s such a smart player that he often seems older than he is, and he carries out Julian Nagelsmann’s instructions perfectly. So many rival Bundesliga fanbases admire Mukiele because of his ability to progressively move the ball for Leipzig and avoid getting caught out in the ground or in the air. And yes, the latter does matter to Real Madrid.
Mukiele will have plenty of admirers in the form of big European clubs this coming summer. Los Blancos should very much be among them, assuming they are in the market for a right back.