Real Madrid officially announced the signing of striker Carlos Espí from Levante on Thursday night.
Espí was a name that wasn't even mentioned by anyone reporting on Real Madrid until a few hours before he was actually signed. Real Madrid were not planning on signing him specifically until José Mourinho asked the club to, and within a few hours the release clause was paid and the signing was done.
It was already special to see such a quick turnaround by Real Madrid to find a solution to a need that had been there ever since Joselu left.
Obviously, Gonzalo García still managed to provide a bunch of goals as a target man, but he was never really that tall, lingering presence that Real Madrid were missing ever since Joselu left. Now they will have that presence with a very young striker in Espí.
Atletico Madrid, at one point, had Carlos Espi on their radar
But there is something that makes all of this even better. According to JL Sánchez, Atlético Madrid also wanted to sign Carlos Espí at one point. They had this striker on their radar, but at the end of the day the player chose to sign with Real Madrid. That's not to say Atlético Madrid sent in an offer, but it just makes everything better.
There were also fans online who support Barcelona who wanted their club to sign Espí this season, as recently as Wednesday and Thursday. To see Real Madrid sign him so quickly after those posts on social media is hilarious for every single Real Madrid fan in existence.
Not to mention, the player would actually help Real Madrid more than either of those two teams. Atlético Madrid already have a target man in Alexander Sørloth, and even though Barcelona need a striker, they've already signed two really good options in attack in Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.
It is also good that José Mourinho wanted the signing at Real Madrid. He was the one who asked the club, and it's really important because if he's asking for a certain type of player, he would know how to use him and how to put the team in the best possible position to win.
That's what Real Madrid have needed in the last few years, but they have just avoided making the sort of signings that they know will send them to another level.
Now they have, and it's always a much, much better signing if the two rival clubs also wanted the same player, which was the case with Espí.
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