TBF, I think history is on side with @4x4s; very few players do come back from loan to succeed here. There is always a shinier new toy. I mean look at Llorente, he went on loan, had a phenomenal season, two years later he's at our arch rivals. Same with James. Morata came back, had a good run but never started, and he was out as well. The list goes on. If Odegaard continues to play a position higher up the pitch, I don't see much of a future for him here. The cupboard is pretty full with young players up front, and some of them will be far more connected to the club, like Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Kubo (and possibly even Brahim). If he plays deeper in a midfield position, he might have a chance. The market is showing no signs of slowing down, and if an average midfielder is 100M, then when you're looking at replacements for Kroos and Modric, it will make a lot more sense to bring him back then spend that much money for a worse player.
I've "low key" already paid hundreds of euros on tickets for the upcoming season in both sports for games that don't even have fixed dates yet. Being realistic/unimpressed doesn't equal less support.
To be fair none actually really kicked the ground running like Carvajal and Casemiro. Without forgetting both when returned to the club where not coming back as starters, rather as subs and eventually outperformed. Morata is an idiot. Had he stayed for one more season he probably would’ve nailed the #9 spot from Benzema. He went to Chelsea and eventually became a sub to lol Giroud lol. The case of Llorente I’ll compare to Ceballos. In the sense that both were exceptional outside Madrid, came to the club and couldn’t really convince the coach (well Llorente did to Solari but he’s gone). Our loan players will always get the advantage and possibly a season chance to be part of the squad, then its up to them to impress in training and the little minutes they get.
I agree with this. With Odegaard we simply see him as an investment. This was the year to try and integrate him with the team, we could have sent Brahim on loan instead or Asensio and give this player a chance - Asensio joined the team when he was 20/19 years old, why can’t we do the same with this player . IMO Odegaard will be sold for a profit at point.
Watching young players develop is actually one of the things I like most in football. Few make it and live up to expectations but that is part of the thrill. I also like it as it gives me a good reason to take an interest in other games (I would never have watched Japan play in the Copa America if not to see Kubo). You don’t have to prove a point or win an argument here, it’s just something people enjoy.
Nobody hates Lucas. But damn he's pesky and somehow always finds his way back onto the field. Not everyone is pleased. There is no plan for these kids most of the time.
1150833427748442113 is not a valid tweet id The technical quality of the Benzema-Hazard duo is going to be stupendous
We saw very good chemistry and interplay between Benz and Jr last season. It's shocking how little energy there is between Bale and Benzema after so much time in comparison.
Extremely fluid speak. Impressive from Kubo. When Florentino leaves it will be a sad day. When he passes I will probably mourn him like a family member.
Great to see. Just look at those handshakes with Modric, Brahim, Vazquez etc. You can clearly see that he is very close with the players. He made some mistakes, but really happy that he leads this club!
Kubo definitely looks like a prospect. He's not the "Japanese Messi" but he definitely looks exciting. Think of the marketing potential for the club as well. I love Don Floren and I wonder how the club will respond when his time is up. We can't have another Calderon.
I haven't watched Kubo much, other than a bit of highlights, looks like nice prospect and a great boy in general. But he seems a bit... slow? Like more Isco than Messi. Can any of you who have actually watched him comment on his speed/agility?
What would you expect from someone like Lucas Vasquez who is basically the new Solari in the Galactio 2.0 project. He's lucky not to be make weight for a new wine bar in the stadium renovations. Made some mistakes - sure that's expected, but some of his decisions have been in direct conflict with the best interests of the club when he has chosen to side with himself. Exhibit 1: Bale. Its hard to go wrong with a billionaire on your side, basically because its hard to fail when you're a billionaire. This needs to be addressed now because unfortunately Flo's ego got the best of him and he convinced the board to change the rules so that Flo is the only person on planet earth who meets the requirements to be President of the club. I don't think it should be that hard to find someone who can competently run the club and it makes sense for Flo to begin to "groom" someone, but everyone is ruled out including possible symbolic figures such as Raul and Zidane due to his decision to vote Flo first.