Why Real Madrid should sign a replacement for Raphael Varane

There are many rumors right now surrounding the future of Raphael Varane at Real Madrid. There are a couple of reports saying that he may sign a contract extension. Then, there are some less optimistic ones. They suggest that Varane’s move from Real Madrid to Manchester United is imminent. It will happen at some point, and till now, it seems that those reports are much more believable.

Okay, let’s assume for a minute here, that Raphael Varane will 100% leave Real Madrid this summer, in search of a better contract, some new challenges, etc. Now, what should Real Madrid do here? Should they move forward with the four centre-backs that they have now, or should they buy a replacement for the Frenchman?

The way I see it, there’s only one right answer. You’ve probably guessed it.

Raphael Varane is one of the most decorated football players of this generation. If we talk about quality, well, he is also one of the best centre-backs of this generation. He had an amazing partnership with Sergio Ramos for five seasons. The way he took over from Pepe at the Bernabeu was great, and Real Madrid need that kind of passing of the torch now. Eder Militao can very well be that player.

It’s necessary for Real Madrid to go for a centre-back if Varane leaves

From what I think, there are two things that could happen. One: David Alaba has a great season at centre-back, and Eder Militao plays in place of Varane and forms a great partnership with Alaba. Two, Alaba does not have a great season at centre-back, and all hell breaks loose.

Interestingly enough, both of those situations call for a Varane replacement, but in two different ways.

Let’s talk about the first one for a little bit. It seems like a good situation, both of Real Madrid’s supposed starters have good seasons, so there probably isn’t any wrong with that, is there? Well, in a way, yes. If Militao and Alaba are the starters, that’ll mean Nacho is the third choice, and the fourth would have to be Jesus Vallejo — a man who was tipped to be a Madrid starter one day, but had a series of injuries and terrible loan spells (Granada, Wolves). He had a great time at Frankfurt, but everything has only gone downhill since.

He’s not a reliable centre-back anymore because of his injury record, and when he’s not injured, he’s not playing that well either. So, would I like to see Vallejo as a fourth choice centre-back? Probably not.

I’m only fixating on the fourth-choice centre-back because of what happened this season. Both of Real Madrid’s top centre-backs got injured at the worst possible time, and they were forced to play Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez in crucial games. They played like warriors and did a fantastic job. Would I trust Vallejo to do what those two players managed to do? Probably not.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Vallejo surprise me if he does get to play, but I don’t want the club to take that risk. It’s already looking to be a tough season with both Ramos and Varane (probably) gone, and I don’t think having Vallejo there will help much. So, in this case, Madrid should go for either a centre-back good enough to be the fourth choice at Real Madrid, or a player good enough to challenge Militao for his spot.

There’s another situation — something a little less complex, one that speaks for itself. If Alaba does not have a good season (or a terrible start to the season at centre-back), Ancelotti might want him to play at left-back or in midfield instead. That’ll leave him with three options in the heart of the defense: Eder Militao, Nacho and Vallejo.

I don’t really have to explain this one. Madrid would either have to buy a centre-back that pairs up with Militao (see: Jules Kounde, Pau Torres, to name a couple) or go for a centre-back that masks Alaba’s shortcomings, and provide some much-needed balance in defense. That one is much easier said than done, but I think Jules Kounde or Pau Torres could do a great job there too.

If Real Madrid lose Varane to Manchester United, it would hurt, but Real Madrid would have to move on. If so, I’d much rather see them move on with a replacement, than see them trust the players that they have at the moment.