Xabi Alonso has arrived at Real Madrid with very clear ideas. “I have an idea of how I want to play, a team that transmits emotion, energy, and connects with people. The photograph of the system may change.” He added that “the most important thing is to have good players, the rest is my problem. The challenge is to bring out everyone’s potential and for us all to pull together,” he said on the day of his presentation. In the coach’s idea of how he wants to play, the attack will be important, and he may lose several players.
Xabi can count on Rodrygo, but the Premier League is lurking
On the day of his presentation, Xabi Alonso was asked about the hottest topic in Real Madrid at the moment, Rodrygo. The player has had a very inconsistent season, has been heavily criticized, and has been out of the team for weeks, which has sparked rumors about his future. Xabi Alonso was clear on the matter: “Rodrygo is a Real Madrid player, and I’m going to have a conversation with him, as I do with everyone, because he deserves it and we need it. Rodrygo is a spectacular player, which I’m not going to discover, and we’re going to need him.”
The striker’s season has been well below his usual standard and he has been unavailable in recent games due to an injury for which there has been no official medical report. He has not scored since March 4 in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid, and in La Liga since January 19 against Las Palmas. It is a tough spell he will have to overcome if he is to continue at Real Madrid.
Rodrygo has attracted the interest of several Premier League teams, including Chelsea and Arsenal. The financial power of the English league makes it more than feasible that they could put the more than $90 million demanded by Real Madrid on the table, but the club is not willing to let him go at any price. The Brazilian has the Club World Cup to convince them and stay at Valdebebas.
Endrick could be on his way to Italy
Another attacking player who could leave this summer is Endrick. The young Brazilian striker has not had many opportunities under Ancelotti, beyond the Copa del Rey, and in the final stretch of the competition, where he gained prominence, he failed to end his goal drought. Neither against Sevilla, where he was injured, nor against Mallorca did he make the most of his starting spot. He will not play in the Club World Cup due to that injury, and Xabi will have to wait to see him in action.
He may not get to see him, as in recent days a strong option has emerged to offload the young Brazilian striker… always on loan. The club is not considering selling the Brazilian in any case. “Endrick has offers from many clubs in Europe to go out on loan. There is one club that is repeatedly knocking on Real Madrid’s door to take him on loan, as the club does not want to sell him, and that is Juventus,” said journalist Eduardo Inda on El Chiringuito.
Xabi names his dream number nine
Faced with the possibility of losing two attacking players, and aware that Real Madrid has lacked a number 9 in many situations this season, Xabi Alonso is considering the arrival of a striker with an eye for goal. The specific name he has in mind is Patrik Schick, the Bayer Leverkusen striker. The Czech has a very similar profile to Joselu. It remains to be seen what the figures for a possible transfer would be, as Real Madrid does not want to spend a lot of money on a player who will not be a starter, at least initially. The website Transfermarkt values him at $27 million. Whatever the final decision, it will be made after the World Cup and according to the needs identified by Xabi Alonso.