Xabi Alonso is just days away from taking the reins at Real Madrid. With his arrival, the Whites hope to rediscover the formula for success that will allow them to fight for titles after a season in which nothing has gone right. There is confidence in the Spanish coach, who arrives with very clear ideas about what he wants and does not want in his team, with whom he will fight in less than a month to win the first Club World Cup.
Xabi Alonso interferes in the signing of Wirtz
One of the ideas that Xabi Alonso has clear in his mind is that he wants Florian Wirtz at Real Madrid. According to Radio Marca, the Tolosa-born coach has expressly asked Real Madrid to sign the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder. The German player has a very good relationship with the Basque coach, with whom he has performed at his best.
This information seems accurate, as they are not the only ones to claim it. The newspaper El Mundo claims that Xabi Alonso has not asked for a midfielder, but rather a technically talented attacking midfielder with a name: Florian Wirtz. “Bayer is asking for more than 100 million, and Madrid does not seem willing to undertake a deal of that magnitude unless Rodrygo leaves, but the pressure from Alonso, after analyzing the squad during the World Cup month, could end up being key,” the newspaper reports.
Wirtz has been on Real Madrid’s agenda for months, but the large outlay required after the player’s renewal with the German club has reportedly put Real Madrid off, and they could now consider investing all the money they get from the sale of Rodrygo in a single player. Xabi Alonso’s influence will be key in the final decision.
Until a few days ago, the player was pointing to staying in Germany and heading to Bayern Munich, but the intervention of Xabi Alonso could change everything and see him end up at the Santiago Bernabéu. His arrival would mean a change of role for Jude Bellingham, who currently occupies that position. The Englishman would take a step back and occupy the central midfield position, thus filling the role that, a priori, Real Madrid was looking for.
Real Madrid and the midfield
Real Madrid has been scouring the market for months in search of a central midfielder to come to the Santiago Bernabéu to fill the gap left by Toni Kroos after his departure last summer. They are looking for a creative and playmaking midfielder, as the only player who seems to have been up to the task this season is Luka Modric, who, at 40, will have a secondary role if he finally stays with the Whites for another year.
Neither Ceballos, Tchouaméni nor Camavinga have managed to completely fill the void left by the German, which is why Real Madrid has decided to get down to work. The favorite has always been Real Sociedad player Martín Zubimendi. The San Sebastian-based club has always referred to the €60 million release clause, and everything indicates that Arsenal has beaten the Whites to the punch. Other key names that have been mentioned for the position are Stiller, Reijnders, Vitinha… A long list, and all with high asking prices, so Real Madrid is aware that it will have to invest. So why not do so in accordance with Xabi Alonso’s wishes and sign Florian Wirtz? The coming weeks will be crucial.