For the past season and a half, Sergio Reguilon has been making a name for himself in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur as he established himself as a starter at left-back for the club since his move in 2020 at the same time that Gareth Bale joined his previous club on loan.
It was clear with his move to Tottenham that Real Madrid were prepared to let the Spaniard go but insisted on a buy-back clause of approximately 40 million Euros which expires two years after he finalizes the move; the two years ends this summer which means that Real Madrid will have a decision to make.
With Ferland Mendy the starter at left-back, he will need someone to help him out and be his backup after Marcelo’s expected departure once his contract expires in the summer.
It’s worth mentioning that Los Merengues don’t necessarily need to buy a left-back as they have a youngster who has already shown that he’s capable of playing with the senior team at any time in Miguel Gutierrez and that is the decision that the club should make. This isn’t to say that Miguel is better than Reguilon – he’s not as of now. However, with all things considered, he is the better option.
Real Madrid could save money by sticking with Miguel Gutierrez
First, he’s on the team. Real Madrid will not need to pay anything to have him in their main squad for the upcoming season as opposed to the 40 million that will have to be paid to Tottenham. During a time where finances are tight and the club needs to improve the squad in various positions, saving this transfer fee can do wonders for them especially since they already have someone young and very good with a lot of room to improve in their youth ranks already.
Miguel Gutierrez is also young and will be more than accepting of a backup role. Would Reguilon accept going from being a starter to being a backup at Real Madrid? It’s possible given his love and admiration for the club but it’s in no way a guarantee and even though he will fight to be a starter, it remains to be seen whether the manager will want to give him that right.
The main issue with bringing Reguilon back is always going to be the money. Yes, Real Madrid can afford it but why pay that when it can be used to strengthen other areas that you need to spend on? Miguel has shown a lot of quality and he’s someone many Real Madrid fans love and want to see more of. Even though all signs point to him not playing much this season, he has earned the right to be part of the team in the upcoming campaign.
At the moment, Ferland Mendy with all his flaws going forward is one of the best left-backs in the game defensively. The Frenchman has more than proven himself and earned the right to be a starter at Real Madrid. Even though anyone including Miguel or Reguilon will want to fight for their place to start, it’s very unlikely that they will be picked ahead of the Frenchman and that could cause some unrest that is easily avoidable with Reguilon while Miguel will simply take his chances as they come.
In summary, I don’t see any need for us to pay any sort of transfer fee in order to bring back Sergio Reguilon even though he is a player that many of us were sad to see leave. If we think about it logically, the left-back position should not be touched as it is in good hands with Mendy and Miguel and should be taken care of for years to come.