Planning the ideal Real Madrid summer 2022 transfer window
We are very quickly approaching a summer transfer window where many expect it to be one to remember for Real Madrid. After years of saving, careful financial moves, and planning for a sustainable future, the time seems to have come for the club to make some big moves in the market. The rumors get us excited but in the end, we won’t know exactly what is happening behind the scenes until the move is finalized such as what we witnessed when Eduardo Camavinga joined the club last summer.
It’s easy to say we want all the big names to join while many of the lesser-used players leave. In general, that’s what Real Madrid plan for but there is obviously much more to that. So what would the ideal window look like for the club while trying to be as realistic as possible? It’s worth noting that for the coming summer, Los Blancos have the highest salary cap in the league with 739.2 million Euros available followed by Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. This does not include increases that will happen with the departures of certain players as well.
Keeping the salary cap in mind, it’s worth first taking note of players that will or should leave the club in the coming window.
Gareth Bale, Isco, Marcelo
Gareth Bale, Isco, and Marcelo all have one thing in common: They have contracts that expire this summer. Therefore, Real Madrid will be able to save quite a hefty amount in wages once these players move on.
Bale will not be receiving a new contract after a very turbulent time since he joined the club. He may be leaving through the ‘back door’ of the club but it should not be forgotten that he was an integral part of the club making history throughout his time in Spain. Unfortunately, though, injuries and other off-field issues may have scarred his time at the club.
Isco is another player who didn’t get everything he was hoping for when he joined. He has had moments of brilliance but always seemed to fall out of favor with whoever the manager was at the time. This rings true for Zinedine Zidane, Santiago Solari or Carlo Ancelotti. His early days at the club were magical but as time went on, he found himself further and further away from the pitch.
Marcelo, the current captain, will be the only one of the three leaving with his head held high. Recent seasons have seen his form drop shockingly low but his time at the club and the success he had will not be easily forgotten. However, all good things come to an end and it looks like this summer will be the end for the Brazilian left-back.
Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz
Real Madrid have been trying and failing to offload Mariano Diaz in recent seasons as the player is adamant that he wants to fight for a spot in the team. Even after the club brought in Luka Jovic, Mariano didn’t let that phase him. Unfortunately, the situation has still not changed and Real Madrid will want to try yet again to find a new club for the player. But not because Jovic is in the team.
Jovic arrived after a sensational season at Eintracht Frankfurt but the Serbian international has been unable to really make a mark on the team. Los Merengues continue to find a striker that can not only be a trustworthy backup to Karim Benzema but someone who can seamlessly take over once the Frenchman decides to call it a day. As much as Jovic has tried to be that person, it never really worked out.
Recent reports have said that Jovic is fed up with the lack of opportunities and will be looking to leave in the summer. Clubs will definitely be willing to bring him in but it’s much more difficult than that due to the transfer fee that Real Madrid will ask for as well as Jovic’s wages.
Barely any minutes for Lunin and Vallejo
It’s a little sad to see how things have been going for Andriy Lunin, This isn’t saying that Carlo Ancelotti should be playing him more but he still should be playing more often. The competition for him to make his mark was the Copa del Rey but Real Madrid were knocked out of it by Athletic Bilbao. Thibaut Courtois was the goalkeeper there. The Ukrainian goalkeeper has only made two appearances for Real Madrid so far and both came in the Cup – against Alcoyano and Elche. Since then, he has been on the bench.
Los Blancos should look at loaning him out once again to a club where he can be a starter. At his age, all the training in the world won’t be as beneficial as getting minutes on the pitch and since Real Madrid can’t offer that, another club should.
Another player who has barely had any time to play this season is Jesus Vallejo. So far this campaign, Vallejo has made two substitute appearances which add up to ten minutes on the pitch. It’s clear that the club do not see a future for him there and after two loan spells to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Granada, things have not changed. They will surely be hoping that his future is resolved this summer.
Dani Ceballos
The situation around Dani Ceballos is a little bit of a strange one. Real Madrid brought him to the club from Real Betis as he was expected to be a major addition to their midfield. However, he never really cemented his place in the team before being sent out on loan twice. During his time on loan at Arsenal, he has improved dramatically and was hoping that the experience he had in the Premier League would earn him more minutes upon his return. However, this season has shown otherwise.
After a very unfortunate injury over the summer, Ceballos missed almost half the season. After that, he was almost always called up but barely ever made an appearance. When he did, he looked good and showed that he has something to offer. But with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as starters, it would always be hard to find minutes. He then found himself fourth in the pecking order as Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga both were counted on more than he was. It seems to be over for him at the club.
Many expect him to make the move back to his beloved Real Betis side where he definitely will be able to make a positive impact. It’s still a little soon to tell whether the move will materialize or not but all signs point to him departing permanently this summer.