It only took a few hours for Jose Mourinho to identify Carlos Espi of Levante as the striker he wanted Florentino Perez to sign for Real Madrid after the sale of Gonzalo Garcia, whom he was excited to work with this season, and it took even less time for Real to secure the deal for the underrated young Spanish forward from the Frogs; Espi accepted immediately.
Real Madrid have always been at their best with an out and out No. 9 profie as an option off the bench when they need it, and they literally have that kind of a player in academy product Joselu to thank for their 2023/24 Champions League title following his legendary heroics against European Clasico rivals Bayern Munich.
Garcia would have been that player for Real Madrid, and now the 6'4" Espi, who may profile even better athletically, will fill that role after scoring quite a few goals, 11, in just 13 La Liga starts and 25 total appearances while quietly being one of the top five strikers in the league.
Trent Alexander-Arnold missed out on a lot of assists
But the biggest reason why Jose Mourinho signed Espi, in particular, has to do with the two great creatives whose talents went a bit wasted last season, Arda Guler and Trent Alexander-Arnold. It's unclear how high Mourinho is on Trent after requesting Denzel Dumfries from Serie A champions Inter Milan, but you have to think the world is his oyster this season, especially since the other big fullback signing Mourinho demanded even harder, Marc Cucurella, is the perfect defensive partner for Trent's attacking exploits.
Guler flirted with 10 assists last season and Trent should have had 10 if he had more of an aerial threat in the box. When it comes to that box presence in the low block against lower level La Liga teams or late in games when Real Madrid need that goal, you can't do much better than the 21 year old Carlos Espi, whose height, athleticism, and efficiency in front of goal make him a tantalizing optino for Jose Mourinho
Trent Alexander-Arnold is still as good as ever with his crosses and pinpoint passes, especially from deep, and Arda Guler is also a threat to assist from long range into space, as well as short range in tight spaces.
In either case, Espi is a huge weapon for Real Madrid, and there are assists that were left on the table last season, which Mourinho definitely noticed. Espi can convert those plays from Trent and Guler, and he alone could very well be the difference between both playmakers getting to 10 assists apiece in the 2026/27 La Liga season.
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