Real Madrid are in dire need of a centre-back, and they need to get one that doesn’t cost a lot of money, but is really good and can keep his performances up for at least a few more years. And in that sense, Antonio Rudiger checks all the boxes.
Rudiger is fast, he’s a great passer of the ball, he’s very comfortable with the ball at his feet, he doesn’t fumble when pressed, and in general, has been a revelation ever since Tuchel took charge in January.
His contract is to expire next June, and although there are talks ongoing between Chelsea and Rudiger, as of now they are very far from an agreement. And according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid will seriously consider the signing of the German centre-back if he is available as a free agent next summer.
Antonio Rudiger checks all the boxes from a tactical and financial sense for Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s defense is something that makes me more and more worried each passing day. They’ve conceded nine goals in nine games this season. OK, on paper, it doesn’t look as bad as I am making it to be. But, in reality, I think it’s quite worse. Real Madrid have had difficulties in clearing crosses, due to their lack of a good aerial presence in defense apart from Eder Militao.
Because of that, Real Madrid have been very vulnerable to crosses, and even though they haven’t conceded a lot of goals from them, it’s mainly because of the attackers of the other team not doing as well as they could, or Thibaut Courtois doing his best to keep the ball out of the goal.
This doesn’t stop at just crosses. If you look at Real Madrid’s defense in general, it has had issues like that all over the place. They don’t have problems building out from the back because of Alaba’s ability to just make things happen from that deep through beautiful long-range passes. But, they’ve had difficulty in dealing with the same from the opponents, and combine that with a lack of good offense, you get results like those of the last two games. A 0-0 draw against a Moreno-less Villarreal team and a shocking 2-1 loss against Champions League newcomers Sheriff Tiraspol don’t make things better for Los Blancos.
All of this just proves the point of this article even more. Rudiger is a great centre-back, and even though there may be competition from other teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid have what it takes to get him to put pen to paper.
This would be a very smart move if it somehow materializes, because this would allow Real Madrid to get a quality centre-back into the team, without having to spend any sort of transfer fee. That same money could be used in the potential signing of a midfielder or even Erling Haaland. Of course, it’s a lot easier said than done because it clearly says he’s very happy at Chelsea. But, bigger and more shocking turnarounds have happened in football transfers before, so you never know what the future holds.
There would clearly be a lot of work to do, but getting players without a transfer fee can prove to be a bargain if it’s done right. You can just look at the case of David Alaba. He’s been great so far, and he will continue to improve. Hopefully, Real are able to secure Rudiger’s signing if he decides to try out free agency, because he is an excellent asset that the club would love to have.