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Real Madrid are currently 4th in the La Liga table, 10 points behind leaders Barcelona. Due to the loss of their star player Cristiano Ronaldo, Los Blancos have been in deep waters in all competitions. They survived two losses to CSKA Moskva in their Champions League group and now face a stern challenge in Ajax in the knockouts. In the league, they are 10 points behind leaders and arch-rivals Barcelona.
The defence of the current Champions League holders has been in complete shambles. They have suffered humiliating league defeats to Eibar, Sevilla, and Real Sociedad. Even after Barcelona's rough patch in the middle, Madrid has failed to close down the gap. Under Julen Lopetegui, individual errors cost Madrid a lot. Marcelo performed below par in the defensive end. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane made defensive errors leading to goals. Up front, the absence of a proper striker has hurt Madrid. Mariano Diaz has hardly been started and Isco doesn't even make it to the pitch.
With the current situation in mind, Real Madrid's management has to freshen things up a bit in the squad. The absence of a striker and possible exits of Luka Modric and several other first-team players forces the management to search for replacements quickly. Real Madrid has a liking for high profile players, or Galacticos if you will. Florentino Perez has changed the transfer policy a bit by going for potential players. While replacing major first-team players, that could be risky.
So without further ado, we look at five players who could end up as Galacticos this year, either in the summer or in the winter itself.
#5 Alex Sandro (Juventus)
Alex Sandro is currently an undisputed starter at Juventus. He has shown his great passing and dribbling skills for Juventus. He can start at left-back and as a wide midfielder. Sandro is a strong passer and dribbler. He can hold on to possession, give key passes, cross the ball well and is a very strong tackler.
So, why Alex Sandro? With Marcelo in the team, no one would start in the left-back position. According to several rumours, Marcelo could be on his way out from Madrid. Juventus are the team that is targeting him as well. A Ronaldo-Marcelo partnership is what the Old Lady has in mind, it seems.
So, is this deal beneficial for both parties? Possibly, yes. The link-up or connection between Marcelo and Ronaldo is pure gold for any team. They know each other since 2009. For Madrid, it is not a loss at all. Marcelo has been attacking well this season but not been as strong defensively. With Alex Sandro in the side, the defensive prowess is increased and the attacking tempo does not take a hit either.
Sandro has been better in all defence aspects in 2018/19. He has more interceptions, shot blocks, tackles won and aerials won than Marcelo and has won the same number of duels as Marcelo. Even offensively, Sandro has completed almost 200 more passes and about 100 of them forward passes. He tops Marcelo in assists and chances created as well (22 for Marcelo, 27 for Sandro).
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#4 Edinson Cavani (PSG)
Edinson Cavani might be the need of the hour for Real Madrid for one simple reason: a killer instinct up-front. Real Madrid's problem in the front is not in creation at times, it is more due to the lack of chances taken. Real Madrid have more shots off target than on it. Their conversion rate is a little over 25%. For a player, that is great; for a team, not so much. PSG, in comparison to Madrid, has a much better conversion rate.
Cavani is very good up front for PSG and he scores more often than not. He is aided highly by the wingers Mbappe and Neymar. At Madrid, a lack of wingers is not the problem, finishing is and they should fix that as soon as possible. Cavani is a great player if finishing is what Madrid needs. They cannot expect him to drop a little deeper and help in progressive play, because he is not that type of player.
When we compare Benzema and Cavani, it is clear that Benzema is a better passer and creator but when it comes to scoring and conversion, Cavani is better. Real Madrid has played with Ronaldo Nazario and Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the front. Van Nistelrooy was nothing but a poacher. A player with a cutting edge in front of the goal who converts most of the opportunities. Cavani can do that and he can shrug defenders off as well. His height gives him the ability to leap for headers as well.
Will PSG sell their main striker? Well, might they have to. FFP regulations are tightening on them after signing Mbappe and Neymar. They could even have to sell one of the two players. Rabiot will leave for free and not for cash. If a player wants to leave and is enquired for by a club, FFP regulations force PSG to let him go. There are no two ways about it.
So, Cavani might not be a bad option and could possibly move to Madrid.
#3 Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
One of the hottest strikers available in the market. We have talked about the issues Madrid faces up front. Their finishing is poor and they need a player to fix it. Who is better than Mauro Icardi? Edinson Cavani, Harry Kane, all are deadly finishers but they have great wingers and midfielders aiding them. This man, he just needs the ball at his feet, near the box and he finishes it, no matter what he has to do.
Yes, it is a bit exaggerating but Icardi really is a great finisher and he does it without much quality that other strikers have exposure to. He has scored really important goals for the club and has also got a winner in the Milan derby. What Icardi possesses is finishing ability and also the ability to create, not by going deep but staying in the front itself. He has created 18 chances and scored 8 goals this season.
Unlike Cavani and Benzema, he has a higher shot accuracy; he finds the target more than he misses it. But then, his conversion is also good enough. He converts 8% of his shots into goals. But he does it with no quality wingers and has to rely on Perisic mostly. With Vinicius Junior and Vazquez to support him, he will no doubt yield better results. Amongst all top strikers, Cavani and Kane have high exposure to creative players and thus their only job is to hit the ball to the back. Icardi has to do that little bit more.
So, will Inter sell their most important player? It is not a possibility and they have denied it. But it has happened a lot that a player 'not for sale' is sold. With the hefty fee that Icardi will get them, they can bolster two to three weak spots in the team.
#2 Christian Eriksen
The Danish or the Great Dane, Christian Eriksen should be a priority for Madrid this year. He has been at his absolute best with Spurs and oozes class every time. He has been on the radar of some many giants but none have actually managed to lure him away. The Los Blancos have every reason to pursue Eriksen.
For starters, they have no creativity in the attacking side or lack of attacking midfielder if you will. Kroos and Modric have been inconsistent. Isco is not even in the starting XI most of the times. Reports in Italy and England suggest that Modric could end up at the former and Isco in the latter. Who will guard the midfield then? Eriksen is the answer.
He could play on any side on the field. He could play deep or he could play in the central attacking midfield zone. He could also go into transit in the wings from the midfield, having a free-flowing positioning. Eriksen as a Regista or as a Raumdeuter is a dangerous situation for oppositions. The former a playmaker who drops deep and then moves up the pitch, the latter a free-roaming player on the pitch.
Eriksen's ability is not in doubt. His superior assists, the creation of chances and goals, even better passing and goalscoring in comparison with Madrid's lead midfielders make him a perfect fit at Madrid. He will engage the forwards, he will hold the midfield lines and he will play line-breaking passes, what more do you need?
Tottenham doesn't have the funds to keep their best players with them. So, no problem there.
#1 Eden Hazard
You guessed this one, didn't you? If you did then you have been following the Chelsea star and Real Madrid's transfer news very closely. Eden Hazard has time and again made comments that indicate he wants to play for Los Blancos. Florentino Perez for some odd reason did not send a lucrative enough deal for Roman Abramovich to accept. Currently, Hazard's contract renewal and Real Madrid's incoming offer are both on the table.
Madrid has Vinicius Junior and he has made promising performances. But when you take a figure like Cristiano Ronaldo out of the team, you surely need somebody of that stature. Vinicius isn't that guy. He is just a kid, he has to learn and who does he learn from? Bale is injured most of the time, Mariano is also inexperienced, where is the proven match-winner? He is at Chelsea. First Madrid went in for Neymar and they should have got him, then they saw Hazard in Russia and ended up losing both.
Meanwhile, Eden Hazard has been tearing it apart in England. He has reached double digits for both scoring and assisting, playing both winger and false-9 roles. The only other player to do so as well is, you-know-who, Lionel Messi. Hazard is not only scoring but he has been creating a plethora of chances. Going by stats, he has been better than Cristiano Ronaldo. Lionel Messi beats him in scoring, take on, and vision though. But this isn't about whether he is better than the best.
He suits Real Madrid and they desperately need him. He is competing with the best ever in football and he beats them when it comes to certain stats. Hazard to Madrid should happen if Madrid pursue him. 10 goals, 10 assists, 41 chances created. What more do you want?
