Como No. 10 Nico Paz was already exceptional last season in his breakout campaign for a young Serie A side that survived with no issues, contributing to 14 goals while averaging two dribbles completed per game. But this season, the Real Madrid center midfielder has reached new heights entirely, and it is more than fair to dub him as the best player in the Italian top flight right now.
Paz's return to Real Madrid is a foregone conclusion, because being able to sign a player of his caliber for nine million euros is a no brainer. Real Madrid already have some big names in the attacking midfield right now, like Arda Guler and Franco Mastantuono, but Paz has been way better than the Argentine prospect and has been even more stellar than the highly promising Guler.
But Paz's exploits at Como will force Real Madrid to sacrifice somebody in the middle of the park. Now, Paz has shown the ball progression and ball winning, with both more than three combined tackles and interceptions and more than three combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game this season, to be more of an 8 than a 10. Even so, Mastantuono's place in the squad is over, Guler will not be as influential, and even Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde may lose their luster.
Nico Paz is a great problem to have
So Real Madrid are in the tough position where they must pick and choose playing time and run the risk of ruffling someone else's feathers. Someone like Franco Mastantuono could use their ego being cut down to size, but Real Madrid will want to be more delicate with Fede and Jude, who are world class players already showing signs of discontent this season.
Another larger point that puts Nico Paz in the "great problem to have" bucket that now forces Real Madrid to acknowledge certain uncomfortable realities is the fact that Paz was able to play such beautiful, flowing football at Como and become both a superstar and a leader in the middle of the park.
Not only are those opportunities hard to come by for any young player at Real Madrid, just look at how Florentino Perez is castrating Thiago Pitarch already because it hurts his own ego in reflecting on his failed signings, but Real Madrid just aren't playing as well tactically as Cesc Fabregas's Como. Paz will actually have to inject that quality and control to Real Madrid, rather than him necessarily having to prove himself to Madrid, and, therefore, the other "discomfort" for the Merengues will be in how the other players, including Fede and Jude, will have to up that technical and tactical level themselves.
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