Arda Guler is widely considered to be one of the best talents of his generation. We have only seen flashes of that in a Real Madrid shirt, as his debut campaign in the Spanish capital was derailed by a series of early-season injuries. He did remind people what he was capable of while representing the Turkish national team at the EUROs.
Of course, Lamine Yamal was in the headlines and ended up winning the competition with Spain. But in terms of individual quality, Guler was just as impressive in the eyes of many.
Playing time at Real Madrid might still prove hard to come by though, especially after the additions of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick over the summer. That has only made the competition for places in the team higher.
It has also led to Guler being linked with an exit from Real Madrid. Clubs like Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool and several others are rumoured to hold an interest in the 'Turkish Messi'.
Real Madrid make Arda Guler decision amid Bayer Leverkusen links
As tweeted by Fabrizio Romano, recent links between Guler and a loan move to Bayer Leverkusen are wide of the mark. He is a key part of Real Madrid's plans and is not available on loan. He is only focused on Los Blancos now.
One thing Real Madrid have a lot of when it comes to player development is patience. Take Vinicius Junior for example. There is a world of difference between the player he was in his first few years at Santiago Bernabeu and the Ballon d'Or contender we see today.
It is also worth pointing out that Guler has largely impressed in the few chances he has gotten at Real Madrid. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he scored 6 goals in just 12 appearances for the club.
Guler is an elite talent without a doubt. Real Madrid should not even consider giving up on him being a success at Santiago Bernabeu anytime soon.