Real Madrid have a serious need at the left back position with neither Fran Garcia nor Ferland Mendy establishing themselves as reliable options this season. But instead of signing former player Miguel Gutierrez on the cheap to compete with these players, Los Blancos are letting the Spaniard join crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid instead. Libertad Digital's Sergi Valentin reports that Atleti and Miguel have already reached a verbal agreement, as Real will not use their 35 million euro buy-back option to bring back the Giroan star.
The left back position has been an issue for Real Madrid pretty much ever since Marcelo abruptly started declining somewhere around 2019. They brought in Ferland Mendy that summer from Lyon for 50 million euros, and he was a strong defensive upgrade who has won two LaLiga titles and two Champions League titles as the primary starter, providing elite defensive coverage against top right wingers.
Unfortunately, Mendy has always been a weak attacking option, and his weaknesses have been getting worse while his defensive work has also declined this season. Fran Garcia, who returned to Real Madrid in 2023 after strong work with Rayo Vallecano, has become the primary starter this season. However, he has not shown the offensive or defensive level required of Madrid, often shrinking in important games against stronger opponents.
Miguel Gutierrez once started for Real Madrid
Miguel was actually a starter for Real Madrid at the end of the 2020/21 season under Zinedine Zidane and the beginning of the 2021/22 season under Carlo Ancelotti. While Zidane favored the highly technical Castilla standout, Carlo eschewed him and immediately sent him to the bench for some uneven defensive displays, which were largely the result of having to start behind the plodding Eden Hazard on the left wing. Hazard would later be discarded as the clear source of the errors, whlie Miguel never got his second chance in Madrid.
Now 23 years old, Miguel has established himself as one of the best playmakers in LaLiga from wide positions. He was a central player to Girona manager Michel's success in 2023/24 when Girona were, for much of the season, the main competitors to Real Madrid for the LaLiga title.
A 35 million euro buy-back clause isn't cheap, but it is lower than what you'd expect a top-class 23-year-old left back with Miguel's technical level, tactical intelligence, and early resumé. So it will be interesting for Real Madrid to see how much Atleti are playing and if that even changes their minds. Miguel is, like Alvaro Morata and Marcos Llorente, the exact kind of homegrown player who can come back to haunt them for the crosstown rivals. Except Miguel plays a scarcer position that Real Madrid still need and is a better technical player than either of those two.