Real Madrid: 3 key areas that need reinforcement over the summer

MIDFIELD DEPTH

The midfield’s current state is certainly concerning. In no way am I doubting the quality and class of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro as a midfield trio. However, last season,  they were massively overworked and the repercussions were visible against Chelsea in the Champions League when our midfield just simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game.

Apart from Modric, Kroos, and Casemiro, if Carlo looks at his bench he’s got Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard, Isco, and Dani Ceballos. This depth on paper or a video game looks fantastic but in reality, that’s not the case.

Valverde is certainly a phenomenal option to have off the bench and could be used heavily next season to provide 35-year-old Modric with rest. However, Ceballos has not been anything impressive in the last two years and he’s also against the idea of being sent out on another loan.

Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard is undoubtedly a surreal talent but the club needs more box-to-box or central midfielders than attacking-minded midfielders at the moment to replace Toni and Luka from time to time.

To address this issue, the club should consider promoting Antonio Blanco to the first team. He’s shown great signs of promise under Zinedine Zidane towards the end of last season and could be a fantastic backup to Casemiro due to his ball-playing ability.

In the central midfield, Los Blancos should consider signing a central midfielder to add more depth alongside Fede. The ideal signing would be Inter Milan’s, Nicolo Barella. Carlo Ancelotti wanted him during his tenure with Napoli and the Italian midfielder has grown into an influential player since then.