Real Madrid have, to an extent, a crisis on the right flank. Their right back, Dani Carvajal has had his worst season as a professional, and is just not a top-level full-back anymore. Of course, his performances have improved in the last few games, but how long until another pacey winger absolutely cooks him in an important game? Real Madrid need to pay a lot of attention to the right-back spot, and if they don’t, it’ll show that they are not as serious as they should be regarding a 14th Champions League.
Real Madrid did sign a right-back, Vinicius Tobias, from Shakhtar earlier this year. But, he’s still a very raw talent, and would probably spend a lot of time with Castilla before getting promoted to the first team.
That leaves us with Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, who has been good generally but can’t really be counted upon week in, week out.
With that, I present to you my five right-backs who would become reasonable upgrades for Real Madrid. I choose the term ‘reasonable’ because obviously, everyone would prefer the Trents, the Reece James’ and the Hakimis, but I doubt Real Madrid would be able to sign any of them. Mazraoui of Ajax is a fantastic option, but I don’t think he’d be joining Real this summer, either.
Nordi Mukiele – RB Leipzig
We start off with perhaps the most defensive right-back on this list. Mukiele is a fantastic defender, and has a lot of potential for growth. He’s also very versatile, and can play in multiple positions, including as a centre-back, a position where Real Madrid have had considerable depth issues.
He averages 2.49 interceptions, 2.82 clearances and is in the 96th percentile for aerial duels won (another area where Dani Carvajal, and Real Madrid’s defense, in general, struggle). He’s defensively solid, and would be a fantastic addition to Los Blancos.
Mukiele’s contract expires in 2023, and is reported to have rejected Leipzig’s contract offer. So, if Real Madrid are able to sign him for an affordable price, that’ll help their defense a lot.
The main issue is in the attack, where Mukiele struggles like Ferland Mendy. He wouldn’t be terrible, but the Frenchman is bound to struggle, and considering how important Real Madrid’s full-backs have historically been in the offense, they might have to look at this part first.