Real Madrid have been linked to Audrelien Tchouameni for a long time, and it is said in certain reports from AS that Real Madrid are in advanced talks with the player and his club regarding a transfer next season. Obviously, there is absolutely nothing decided as of yet, but it is nice to see that Real are at least thinking of signing a CDM next season.
They should sign him. He’s a really good player, and there are a number of reasons Real Madrid should go all-in on him. Here are three such reasons.
Tchouameni is too talented to turn down, and fits Real Madrid’s needs exceptionally
Real Madrid are on the hunt for an eventual successor to Casemiro when his time is up. Casemiro is not old by any means, but Real Madrid still need to plan for the future, and signing a player like Tchouameni would put that need to bed for good.
Tchouameni can act as a sole pivot really, really well. His defensive awareness is great, he makes the right gambles, his positioning is generally decent, and he can play the role Real Madrid have wanted their CDM to play ever since Xabi Alonso left the club in 2014. Kroos has, to an extent, done that, but he doesn’t have the defensive abilities to do that week in, week out, nor is he that type of player, essentially.
Tchouameni would allow Real Madrid to function properly, while also keeping them really solid defensively. His long-range passing would obviously need some polishing, but that’s the point. He is, at the end of the day, a very young player who would be one of the best in his position when he enters his peak.
Casemiro could take Tchouameni under his wing and teach him some stuff about positional awareness and stuff that Casemiro is incredible at, and if Tchouameni adds all of that to his skill set, he’d be perfect for Real Madrid. He doesn’t even need to be like a Xabi Alonso, a more refined version of on-ball Casemiro would do just fine.
The signing gives Real Madrid a lot of dynamism and options in midfield right now
Tchouameni is great. I think he could be perfect for a few games in which Casemiro simply cannot play. Of course, that includes games Casemiro misses, either due to suspension or to injury. But, I am not only talking about that side of things.
Let’s take the example of the game vs Chelsea, the second leg. It was clear that although Casemiro was good and important defensively, Real needed a lot more from him than what he was providing. He made so many poor decisions on the ball, and gave it away cluelessly many times when there was simply no need. That’s not just one game. I can tell you about so many games where that has been a problem, and Real Madrid haven’t been able to fix it.
If you add Tchouameni to the line-up when Real go up against high-pressing teams, there is much more fluidity. You lose some of what makes Casemiro great, but you don’t lose it as much as you do when you play Camavinga or Fede there. That is not a knock on Fede or Camavinga but they aren’t really built for that role of a sole pivot.
However, if you put Tchouameni there, he not only provides a lot defensively, but with the ball, you can expect him to be press resistant, and make the right decision more often than not. Obviously, there are ways he can improve even more, but at least for now, that’ll work out well. Real Madrid would have one less liability on the ball if Tchouameni plays, and that’ll give the other midfielders like Camavinga, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to go forward and do what they are supposed to do without worrying too much about the defense.
Real Madrid need depth so that Casemiro can rest more
When you look at Real Madrid’s depth in midfield, you’d notice about five players that feature very regularly for the club. Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and last, but certainly not the least, Luka Modric. Occasionally, Dani Ceballos gets a few minutes on the pitch, and even more sporadically, you see Isco playing. There’s not a lot going on here. If you bring Tchouameni in, that changes a lot. Now, you have six players for three positions. Two for one.
Consider this: We’ve seen Casemiro play for the club regularly since the 2015-16 season. Out of all those seasons, Casemiro was at his worst during the 2018-19 season, as were most of his teammates. But, I think I’d put this season as a close second.
Casemiro has had a few huge defensive games, but if you consider this season in totality, it hasn’t been all that great, considering the standards that Casemiro has set for himself. Now, bringing Tchouameni would change that a little bit in the sense that he’d try to improve considering he would have some much-needed competition in his position.
But, I think this is also down to fatigue. Casemiro has played a lot this season: He’s played the fifth-most minutes in the entire squad, which is a lot. That’s the most any midfielder has played for Real Madrid this season, and when you think about the fact that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have been overused, where would that put Casemiro?
Tchouameni would be able to help Casemiro in that regard, and perhaps, maybe even replace him as a starter if he starts gelling with the team more and more. We’re getting ahead of ourselves here.
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This team needs a lot of signings to be at the stage where they can beat anyone comfortably, and it’ll take some time before that happens. But, Tchouameni is needed as soon as possible, and it needs to happen in the next summer transfer window.