Real Madrid: 5 players competing in AFCON 2022 to monitor as transfer targets

Nigeria CDM Wilfred Ndidi

Replacing Carlos Casemiro in Real Madrid’s starting XI isn’t for the faint-hearted. When Eduardo Camavinga joined it seemed like Casemiro will finally have his heir. But, the way the youngster plays it is sort of evident that he’d be a better fit at being Real’s future No.  8 rather than a 6. His distribution, chance creation, etc. are the main highlights of his game including his fantastic tackling ability. Yet, I see him as more of a central midfielder which means Los Blancos should be on the hunt for an appropriate CDM fit.

Antonio Blanco is surely a possible pick for the future but if Real were to monitor someone in the position from AFCON, Leicester City’s Nigerian defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in my opinion is a great one. He has been a very consistent performer across all competition for the foxes this season.

And, his stats are simply brilliant. He is averaging five tackles in every League Cup game, 3.6 in the Premier League, and 2.8 in the Europa League. He is in the 99th percentile for tackles, 95th for interceptions, and 97th for clearances, per FBref.

He has also scored a goal in the Europa League this season and his offensive play has truly taken off in the first two games of the AFCON having placed 1.5 key passes on an average and created scoring chances. His long balls are yet another highlight and he thus strikes me as a complete package to replace someone like Carlos Casemiro as a quick fix. He is only four years younger than the Brazilian and hence that could be one aspect that hampers his case for a future at Real Madrid.