Real Madrid are working really hard in the transfer market. They have signed many players and it does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. More signings are definitely expected, and they could happen sooner than you expect.
The first priority, it appears, is for the club to sign a midfielder. They desperately want a Toni Kroos replacement, a creative agent who progresses the game forward, the kind of profile they’ve missed for over a season now.
But Real Madrid must realize that they need to sign another centre-back, a solid one, despite the signing of Dean Huijsen, and that they cannot survive another season without this signing. And there’s a simple reason why.
Real Madrid cannot survive another season without a centre-back signing
The simple reason why Los Blancos need to sign another centre-back is the lack of depth they have in the position.
Dean Huijsen has become an immediate starter, but what about the others? All other names have some sort of dubiousness associated with them that puts the overall depth of the position in jeopardy.
Raul Asencio, for example, he has become too unreliable lately. And this is not just about a single failed Club World Cup campaign, but exactly how he had been playing in Castilla before becoming a first-team regular.
He’s known for being aggressive, Sergio Ramos was too, but one thing Ramos had and Asencio doesn’t is the ability to be clever and clean with most of his dirty tackles. That is an art Asencio needs to master first. Until then, I don’t know if he deserves to be an undisputed starter.
As for other names, Eder Militao is fresh off a season-long injury and his form cannot be guaranteed. He picks up injuries far too often now, and we don’t know if his knees function the same way they used to. That is not a name Madrid can count on as a backup for an entire season.
As for David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger, I have no hope of seeing the former play in the white jersey again. He picks up injuries during recoveries, which is unacceptable for all the money he’s earning. Rudiger, on the other hand, is on a downward slope, something we pointed out months ago. Relying on him will be a big mistake. He’s too prone to errors, and we all saw how he performed in the Club World Cup.
That is to say, Madrid only have two reasonably reliable starting centre-backs: Dean Huijsen and Raul Asencio. And given the club’s track record with injuries, we cannot expect either of them to remain fit all season long.
Madrid desperately need a centre-back signing, and the best name on the table right now is Ibrahima Konate.