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Real Madrid won the double in the 2016/17 season, also becoming the first team to win 2 consecutive Champions League titles in the process. They also won the La Liga, muscling away the trophy from fierce rivals Barcelona after a gap of 4 seasons.
After making a bright start to the season, winning the Supercopa de Espana by beating Barcelona 5-1 over two legs, Real have fallen off the pace and look unlikely to challenge for the title this season.
That being said, it would be prudent for Zidane and co. to already start looking ahead and identify potential reinforcements.
While it is unlikely that Madrid will find solutions in the January transfer window, they sure can plan for the summer window and make a few significant signings.
And so, we look at 3 positions they should be looking to strengthen next summer.
1. Goalkeeper
It’s almost a shame, that a position in which Real Madrid were one of the strongest teams in the world, during Iker Casillas’ presence at the club, has now become one of the weakest. Replacements have been brought in to fill the void left by the former Madrid captain, however, none have been able to emulate his level of performance on a consistent basis.
Diego Lopez, who kept Casillas out of the team in his final season, always looked like a stop-gap replacement. Keylor Navas has had a successful stint between the sticks, winning the La Liga once and the Champions League twice. However, the Costa Rican shot stopper’s performances have been extremely inconsistent.
Florentino Perez should bring in a truly world class goalkeeper, who complements the size of the club, to strengthen the spine of the team.
Potential signings: David de Gea, Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
2. Winger
When Gareth Bale was brought to the club in a world record transfer fee in 2013, it was believed he would be their talisman for the years to come, eventually replacing Cristiano Ronaldo as the focal point of the team.
Despite being hugely talented and truly world-class, Bale has been bereft of a consistent run in the team due to his injury problems.
The Welshman who had just returned after 2 months out (due to injury), in Real’s 2-2 draw against Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey, again picked up a calf injury in the same match. In all, Bale has suffered 19 injuries since he has joined, leaving the club short of attacking options on several occasions.
Madrid have always been linked with fast players who can put in a good cross in the box and play counter-attacking football. As the player on the other wing, one Cristiano Ronaldo, prefers to drift into the striker’s position, Real cannot afford to play without a traditional winger, someone who stretches the play, in their ranks.
Zidane cannot sit around waiting for Bale to be fit in order to play the team’s best football. Real need a winger who can play consistently, week-in, week-out.
Potential Signings: Neymar, Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez.
3. Striker
Alvaro Morata had long been touted to be the successor to Karim Benzema’s throne at Real Madrid. When he was brought back to the club, it was widely believed that Benzema’s time at the club was over.
However, Zinedine Zidane persisted with the Frenchman, despite his lacklustre performances. Karim Benzema scored 11 goals in 29 appearances in the La Liga last season. In contrast, Luis Suarez scored 29 goals in 35 appearances for Barcelona, even though his club finished second.
Teammate Alvaro Morata chipped in with 15 goals for Real Madrid in only 14 starts, and coming off the bench 12 times.
Hence, it was all the more shocking when the club sold Alvaro Morata to Chelsea, without bringing in a like for like replacement. Perez may soon start to rue his decision, as Benzema has made his worst start to the season, scoring only 2 times in the league and has been far from clinical in front of goal.
Borja Mayoral, the 20-year-old Spanish striker, cannot yet be burdened with the striking duties, while Cristiano Ronaldo has also made a slow start to the season.
Hence, Real Madrid desperately need to bring in a world-class striker to partner Ronaldo upfront, also taking the goalscoring load off his shoulders.
Potential Signings: Harry Kane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andrea Bellotti
