Real Madrid knew they would never be able to replace Toni Kroos. That much was obvious as the German icon announced his retirement while still at the top of his game as a legitimate Ballon d'Or candidate in Real's La Liga and Champions League-winning 2023/24 campaign.
Although Real Madrid remains in control of their destiny in both La Liga and the Champions League, recently knocking Manchester City out for the third time in four seasons, there is a sense that something is missing in midfield without Kroos.
Real Madrid no longer enjoys the same dominance and control of games without Kroos. While Luka Modric's ingenuity, Dani Ceballos' sheer volume of progressive passes, and Jude Bellingham's creativity have helped bridge some of the gap, there is a lack of a metronomic controller and a true "director" to provide a guiding hand to the midfield. This is especially the case against opponents who can create chaos off the ball with energetic midfield pressure.
Bellingham, in particular, has had to bear the brunt of Kroos's departure, sacrificing a significant amount of his goal-getting instincts to help defensively and maintain possession. Real Madrid, as expected, didn't have a real internal candidate to replace Kroos, and, externally, players even an ounce similar to Kroos are rare - if anyone in the history of this game even exists who can replicate Kroos.
Real Madrid rivals already dream of a Martin Zubimendi transfer
But if there is someone who can perform at a world-class level in terms of his positional understanding, range of passing, tactical awareness in defense, and stability of possession, then it is Real Sociedad star defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
There's a reason why he's wanted by clubs like Barcelona, Arsenal, and Liverpool. All these teams have been dreaming of bringing the Spaniard to their side as a No. 6 who can glue the midfield together, but, so far, Zubi has resisted leaving out of faithfulness to the La Real cause.
So if Zubi is that loyal to Real Sociedad, it seems difficult to envision him choosing Real Madrid, a direct rival in La Liga, over, say, Arsenal or Liverpool as a dream move to the Premier League. If he is the slightest interested, Zubimendi could be a great counterweight in midfield as a competing option to Aurelien Tchouameni, who, while excellent (and wanted by Liverpool in his own right), isn't capable of the same consistent quality of passing or nuanced reading of the game that Zubimendi is.
Zubimendi is more consistent and more positionally sound, even as Tchouameni has more upside as a creator and passer going forward. The Real Sociedad star is entering the prime of his career at 26 and building another excellent season in San Sebastian, particularly defensively, with well over three combined tackles and interceptions per game while being dribbled past just 0.5 times per match.
For a 60 million euro release clause, Zubimendi is a proven, affordable La Liga talent who could come at a significantly lower cost than Tchouameni did and give Real Madrid more control on the ball while opening up players like Tchou, Camavinga, and Bellingham to take more risks in possession that lead to more goals with Zubi, something of a cross in styles between Kroos and Casemiro, providing Real Madrid with some much-needed spine at the base of the midfield diamond/triangle.