5 things that Real Madrid desperately need to change

Lack of sporting vision and long-term planning

Real Madrid has made a lot of signings till 2020, with Reinier Jesus’ being the last player on whom a transfer fee was invested. The club wanted to go with a youth development scheme that involved the signing and development of up-and-coming youngsters. With an inflated transfer market being dominated by clubs backed by rich investors from the middle-east, Real Madrid had to adopt such an approach to survive in Europe as a fan-owned club.

The scheme sounded very interesting on paper, but in reality, the implementation went horribly wrong. Real Madrid did get talented players, but those signings looked more like a group of talented individuals, and not like players brought in to form a team. There was a lack of sporting vision in the recruitment because those players could’ve never formed a particular system or be a part of a project. To make it worse, some of the players belonged to the same positions and they were bought for exorbitant prices.

It would be an exaggeration to call this project a complete failure because some players like Fede Valverde and Eder Militao have been successful. But most of the players are yet to justify the amount of money invested in them.

But this also raises one serious concern. Was there ever really a project? Because the poor planning made by the current general director Jose Angel Sanchez, who also assumes the sporting role, does raise such doubts. And in those signings, a business-minded approach looks more prevalent than a sporting vision.

Even in the process of selecting the next manager after Zidane’s exit, managers with different profiles were linked to the club, with some having a mindset and requirements opposite to the club’s ambitions. This does make one wonder if there’s really an existing project at Real Madrid. Finally, it was Carlo Ancelotti who was appointed as the manager, someone who doesn’t have a reputation to lead a revolution at a club and has practically been a short-term manager at his recent clubs. He’s a fan favourite for sure, but I highly doubt if he’s the strong personality that the club needs at this moment.

There’s a desperate need for changes in this regard. Because no top club can survive in the competition without a proper long-term plan and sporting vision, which further increases the importance of having a sporting director. Real Madrid is currently linked to a sporting director in Luis Campos, but his arrival isn’t confirmed yet. But a failure in landing a top sporting director wouldn’t be a great sign for sure.