REAL MADRID
Will Real Madrid sell either of Mendy or Fran García this summer?
The left-back question at Real Madrid grows every day, with rumours that Alphonso Davies could join the Spanish club.
Ferland Mendy has more lives than a cat: a silent player, but someone definitely surrounded by noise. For better or worse, Mendy is the name on everyone’s lips but, week by week, he also appears on every Ancelotti’s tactics board.
Mendy has his pros and cons but he is undoubtedly a player capable of performing as a starter for Real Madrid - and that is what matters. As time goes by, he is still standing strong in the storm, something that puts Fran García in a tough position at the club.
The season started with a completely different situation than what we’re in now: Fran arrived and Ferland was injured in the Dallas Clásico during pre-season. The defender went almost two months without playing (57 days) and allowed Fran García to make room for himself in the XI. At the end of 2023 he suffered two more injuries, starting just 11 times and coming on three times.
But by January everything had changed. In the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup, he scored (5-3 against Atlético) and on the eve of the final, Ancelotti uttered his now famous phrase: “Defensively he is the best left-back in the world. Offensively he can improve and I think he has: he scored a goal the other day! But defensively he is the best left-back in the world”. That was the last question of that press conference. The one that closed the show and the one that opened a new stage for Ferland.
Since then he has been an undisputed starter in 12 of the last 14 games. As for the remaining two, they have an explanation: against Las Palmas he did not play due to a slight overload and in Vallecas he was absent due to accumulation of cards. Since that line in Arabia, Mendy has only been a substitute on one occasion. He is performing remarkably well, reinforcing his defensive solidity and improving his performance in attack. He has won his place back from Fran García by a landslide.
Out of Davies, Mendy and Fran García, one will not play for Real Madrid next season. The signing of the Canadian remains at the same point as last Saturday: what separates his signing is €20m (Real Madrid are offering around €30m and Bayern want €50m).
What is certain is that if Davies arrives, one of the current players will have to leave. As far as the board are concerned, they still point to the name of Mendy and live in the knowledge that offers will come for him. Fran is also younger and fits better in a role of substitute behind Davies. But for Ancelotti, Ferland is “the best left-back in the world in defence”. The question rages on.