Do we not have a general Real Madrid thread?
If not, this will have to do. Now that they've signed Isco, I'm starting to wonder if they'll pursue our Uruguayan wantaway after all this summer. Add Cavani or Bale and I don't think they'd have the money or a place for him. How, exactly, are they going to play Benzema, Bale, Isco, Ozil and Ronaldo anyway? Not to mention any of the squad players they have in attacking positions behind those 5, some of whom are very good players in their own right (Modric, Callejon, Di Maria).
At any rate, I'm not sure how Suarez could possibly fit in, except as a backup option to their pursuit of Cavani and/or Bale. What, then, is their plan? How are they going to line up these players next season? Barca have a wealth of attacking talent at their disposal as well, but they seem to have a coherent plan for a few variations on the main team and that's it. Real seem to be returning to the Galacticos model; either that or they're going to sell 2 or 3 very good players (Di Maria has been mentioned, Higuain is practically gone, but could Ronaldo be added to that list?).
Is their strategy just to keep buying 3-4 of the best attackers in the world, every single season, and hope that they can find a way to get them to work together somehow?
From what I've seen so far I've got a feeling the plan is something like this:
- Bale instead of Di Maria
- Isco instead of Kaka
- One out of Cavani, Suarez or Morata instead of Higuain. If the option is Morata that would mean a bigger investment in a CM.
- Jese instead of Callejon.
- Casemiro instead of Essien, the CM
- Carvajal instead of Essien, the RB
- Some young prospect instead of Carvalho as CB
- Nacho/Arbeloa to fill Coentrao's absence as LB (a bad decision in my opinion) in order to give Marcelo all the confidence as definite starter.
- Maybe one extra CM to substitute Alonso in one/two years time, or even this very same season.
Out (in million euros): Di Maria (20-25), Higuain (25-30), Kaka (?), Callejon (5), Essien (0), Carvalho (0), Coentrao (20) -> (70-80)
In (supposed it's Morata the one being chosen): Bale (80-90), Isco (30), Morata (0), Jese (0), Casemiro (6), Carvajal (6), Young CB (10), high cost CM (30) -> (152-162).
If it's a striker like Cavani the investment amount would be like 40-50 extra million more or so, but the CM would be a low cost one. The main consolation for Florentino Perez would be that the bigger Cavani or Suarez's prices are the more he can ask for Higuain as well.
