Xabi Alonso has been feeling the heat in his very first season in charge of Real Madrid but some of the club's decisions haven't helped him. That includes on the recruitment front, choosing not to back him with a new creative midfielder in the summer.
Madrid are likely to be in the market for a new playmaker in the summer but aren't going to be conducting any January business. This is the norm for Florentino Perez's transfer chiefs who rarely get the chequebook out in the winter.
But it's their decision over one of Madrid's injury prone stars made in the summer of 2024 has been a nuisance for Carlo Ancelotti and now Alonso. It's left the recruitment staff looking foolish.
Real Madrid's clumsy contract renewal
Real Madrid handed Ferland Mendy a new deal in September 2024 despite suffering from recurring injuries. It's reported that the club "regretted" the extension just months after it was completed, per Spanish journalist Jorge Picon.
Mendy has made just three appearances this season, and this follows the 2024-25 campaign in which he missed most of the second half with a muscle injury. The signing of Alvaro Carreras helped Alonso deal with the Frenchman's lack of reliability.
But Madrid sent trusted agents to try and seek offers for him but were aware that few clubs would want the player due to recurring muscular issues. One line from the report in particular is extremely worrying:
"One of the experts who analysed Ferland Mendy’s fitness claimed that it was a MIRACLE that he was able to play football. "
Renovar a Ferland Mendy fue petición expresa de Carlo Ancelotti y respaldada por el club después de ganar la Champions League en 2024. Un premio por el título conseguido y el reconocimiento a un futbolista que fue clave en la conquista de la 15ª y, un par de años antes, de la… pic.twitter.com/CmbLgz3Q3C
— Picón (@JorgeCPicon) January 11, 2026
Ancelotti was crucial in the decision to extend Mendy's contract. It's claimed that medical assessments had warned the club against a renewal but the Italian requested he be handed a new contract.
Mendy joined Madrid from Lyon in the summer of 2019 for €30 million. He has made 204 appearances since, winning the Champions League twice and La Liga three times.
Real Madrid need to back Alonso in the summer
Alonso's job has been at risk this season despite only replacing Ancelotti at the end of last season. The Spaniard has endured a topsy-turvy start to life in the Estadio Bernabeu dugout, but the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final has helped turn the tide.
If Madrid stick with Alonso they must support him in any ideas he has for bolstering his squad. He wants a new creative midfielder and that might mean splashing the cash on either Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton or AZ Alkmaar's Kees Smit.
Alonso might also be prepared to part ways with some of the club's longest-serving players and this should be agreed upon by the higher-ups. Dani Carvajal, 34, Antonio Rudiger, 32, and David Alaba, 33, are all out of contract in June.