Real Madrid will have at least one player coming in this summer to help out defensively. After the Merengues struggled with Eder Militao out in the second leg of the Champions League against Chelsea, they reportedly agreed to terms with one Chelsea’s standout players from the match. Madrid are set to sign center back Antonio Rudiger to a four-year deal in free agency when the 2021/22 season ends.
But center back isn’t the only position of need. It may not even be the biggest one, and it certainly wouldn’t be anymore with Rudiger set to join.
Madridistas have become increasingly concerned with Dani Carvajal’s lack of fitness and lapses defensively, with a couple of more errors coming in a recent Champions League encounter with another top Premier League side in Manchester City.
Real Madrid need a right back this summer. Carvajal cannot be the only true right back in the squad, and Alvaro Odriozola isn’t strong enough defensively to be the solution behind him.
Though there are dreams of Pedro Porro and Reece James, neither of those players may be realistic. James is basically impossible to sign, while Madrid seem to be keen on taking a cheaper approach at right back.
Juan Foyth has impressed Real Madrid fans this season
Passing up on Porro would be a mistake if he is available, but if Real Madrid really do need to go with a more economic option, then there is one man right in LaLiga who could be worth pursuing as a budget backup to Carvajal.
Juan Foyth is a versatile defender who can play virtually anywhere in a back four, and he impressed Real Madrid fans earlier this season in head-to-head competition for Villarreal against the Merengues.
This week, Villarreal faced one of the two best teams in the world, Liverpool, in the Champions League semifinals. They lost 2-0, but Foyth stood out as one of the players of the match, earning an official Player of the Week nomination for his stellar defensive work against one of the most electrifying wingers on the planet in Luis Diaz.
Foyth has his limitations, but the 24-year-old is as solid as they come defensively. And he sure knows how to get under someone’s skin. His big-game performance against the in-form Diaz and Liverpool was a major statement to everyone who watches European football. Foyth wants you to know that he is not out of place at the top level, even as Jose Mourinho shipped him out of Tottenham.
While Foyth is not the most exciting option for Real Madrid at right back, he is underrated, great defensively, relatively young, a known commodity in LaLiga, capable at the highest level of the Champions League, versatile, and likely a lot more affordable than the top options. Real could do worse than Foyth, who could conceivably be better than Carvajal against more attacking wingers like, say, Diaz. At the very least, he is significantly more stable than Odriozola.
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His defensive statistics are outstanding. Foyth averages 2.9 tackles per game in LaLiga and 4.1 tackles per game with 1.3 interceptions per game in the Champions League. And in league play, he is only dribbled past 0.5 times per match. Offensively, he adds 1.2 dribbles per game in LaLiga and 1.0 in the Champions League.
Real Madrid really should be aiming for the best possible right backs, but Foyth’s display against Liverpool puts him on the watchlist, even if he isn’t a top option.