The season is coming to an end and Real Madrid have been eagerly awaiting this moment after a year in which everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. No titles, a poor image on the pitch, poor performances from key players and a plague of injuries that has been a constant feature of Carlo Ancelotti’s last season in charge.
A plague of injuries that has hit the defense particularly hard. From the start of the season, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, two important players in the starting eleven, were injured for the entire season, leaving a void that was difficult to fill. Lucas Vázque was supposed to step up at full-back, but his performance has been well below expectations.
Meanwhile, in the center of defense, with Militao injured, Alaba still recovering from last season’s injury, and Vallejo out of the picture, Ancelotti found himself with only one center back, Rüdiger, available. At first, the Italian coach did not want to call on the youth team and opted to place Tchouaméni in the center of defense, who looked very uncomfortable in every game.
Asencio’s arrival in the defense was a ray of light, but injuries have continued to plague the team, which in recent weeks has had seven players out of action in defense: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Rüdiger, Alaba, and Mendy as permanent absentees, with Asencio and Lucas Vázquez also carrying knocks.
It is a major headache for Ancelotti to field a competitive defense. That is why, with the Club World Cup coming up and wanting to avoid the same problem for Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid has set to work to strengthen its defense quickly and effectively.
Huijsen, star signing
The first official arrival has been Spanish center back Dean Huijsen. “Real Madrid C.F. and AFC Bournemouth have reached an agreement for the transfer of Dean Huijsen, who will be linked to our club for the next five seasons, from June 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030,” Real Madrid announced last Saturday.
This is a highly anticipated signing, as Real Madrid has been pursuing the Bournemouth center back for months. The biggest obstacle to signing the player was his €60 million release clause, which Florentino wanted to lower, but will ultimately pay in order to add a center back with great potential to the squad, who is very solid in defense despite his youth. In addition, Huijsen has enormous offensive potential, taking advantage of his 6’5″ height in set pieces.
A €500 million release clause
With his arrival confirmed, speculation about the terms of his contract has been rife. Sky Sports has reported in the last few hours that the contract signed by the parties includes a release clause of no less than €500 million. This is a common practice to protect the player and force negotiations in the event of offers for the player to leave the Santiago Bernabéu in the future.