Despite being in the running to sign Manchester City midfielder Rodri for as long as they were, Real Madrid will end up not signing a new midfielder this summer, according to a report from AS.
The report says that a centre-back coming in is much more likely than a midfielder joining the club right now.
Their priority is departures, and a defender will only come in if Raul Asencio ends up leaving the club before the end of the transfer window.
This seems like a bizarre move. Real Madrid need a midfielder really badly. Their midfield has not been in a worse state in a while, and it has been clear for a while, ever since Toni Kroos retired, that there is a need for a midfielder who can control the play and dictate the tempo from deep.
Real Madrid need a midfielder who is not scared of the ball, and can pass it around consistently
Currently, Real Madrid do not have a single player who can do that consistently, and it just does not make sense for the club to continue without actually searching through the market and looking for players like Rodri.
Martin Zubimendi is no longer a guaranteed starter at Arsenal. Even last season, he was on the bench for the Champions League final. Now they've signed Bruno Guimarães, and he'll probably have to fight for his place to get game time in the big games.
Real Madrid could have tried for Zubimendi. It would have made sense because he is a very similar player to Rodri. At least in possession, he is very close to Rodri because he knows how to play from deep.
His passing is good, his range is good as well. Defensively, there are areas where he's not the best physically at the moment, and obviously Rodri is just one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, which Zubimendi cannot fully replace.
However, Real Madrid have other midfielders for their physicality and defensive work rates. What they don't have is a dictator from deep, and Zubimendi could have been one of them.
Even Angelo Stiller, who Real Madrid were linked with last season, would have also been a good option to have in midfield.
He is a good passer of the ball, he loves to keep the ball around, does not give it away cheaply, plays everything by the book, and it's something that Real Madrid have been missing as a player.
This article is not there to discuss the number of players that they could have signed instead of Rodri, but just the fact that Real Madrid would only open the gate for Rodri - knowing fully well that there is a need for a player like him - but then also not search through the market for a player who they can buy instead of the Spanish midfielder, is just baffling.
Real Madrid will go another season without signing a proper tempo controller, and unless Bernardo Silva becomes one of the best Real Madrid signings in recent years, their struggles will continue, and they will once again regret not signing a single midfielder who can control the tempo from deep.
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