REAL MADRID
What position will Arda Güler play at Madrid?
The young star looks set to join the 14-time European champions: here is how he will best fit into Ancelotti’s side.
Arda Güler looks set to join Real Madrid for around €20 million ($21.7 million) and will occupy either a midfield position or that of one of the strikers at the club. There is definitely a lot of range for the player, given his versatility and ability, despite being so young, to affect games from all across the pitch. But where does he fit into Carlo’s plans?
Real Madrid’s transfer strategy over the years has changed: the Galácticos have not been the central idea of their plan, with the club instead choosing to opt for younger talent and giving them the time to grow. Of course, there are exceptions (I don’t know who you might be thinking about), but for the most part, Florentino Pérez has looked the other way and signed players such as Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Rodrygo, Ceballos and Asensio.
Güler could be loaned out for a year
AS understands that Carlo Ancelotti will initially want to use Güler, who will partake in Madrid’s pre-season plans with the first team, in place of Eden Hazard, who left the club by mutual consent. Hazard never got off the ground in the Spanish capital and the levels of disappointment surrounding the player, who had become one of the world’s best, continued to grow, with the decision eventually being made that is was best for all involved to say goodbye to each other and part ways.
Güler is at the opposite end of the scale in terms of age and although he has not yet demonstrated it at the top level, his attacking talent is seemingly highly valued by those at Madrid. If he stays in the first team instead of being loaned out, which is a real option for the player, he will be a part of the striking force and although his positioning on the field can be a little all over the place - he is definitely not a focal point to lead the line - he would occupy one of the attacking places in the squad alongside Joselu, Brahim, Rodrygo and Vini Jr.
Is Arda Güler a midfielder?
The necker cube is an optical illusion of a 3D cube drawing that is made up of two squares connected together at the corners: the trick is that it can appear to be looking both ways, depending on how long you stare at the image for. You’ve probably doodled one in your school textbook: it can appear to be facing to the left before your eyes readjust and it instantly seems to be pointing the other way. Both interpretations are just as correct as each other... and Güler is quite the same. He is a midfielder who attacks and an attacker who plays in midfield.
It is cliché to say that the problems that come with having ‘too many’ good players is a positive one, but Güler, whether played in the final line or slightly deeper, looks to have the capacity to change games in a flash, and will no doubt have a role off the bench. Names are not the important thing in the debate but roles, and surely Ancelotti is ready to swap the chewing gum for headache tablets when it comes to squeezing all the squad talent at Madrid into 11 spaces on a football pitch.
