What would 26-year-old England international’s arrival bring to Real Madrid? | OneFootball

Despite boasting of some of the world’s best footballers in all areas of the pitch, there is no doubt that there are still some notable weaknesses in this Real Madrid team.

The defence is clearly such an area that needs significant reinforcements to ensure the competitiveness of the entire team. There were already some glaring weaknesses in this part of the Merengue team last summer, but the club decided not to bring in any other defender after their failed pursuit of the Frenchman Leny Yoro.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s problems in defence multiplied as two of his starters, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal suffered serious injuries in the initial phase of this season, and both of them will be unable to play again this season.

In such a scenario, Ancelotti and some of the fans would have liked to see some reinforcements brought into the team in the upcoming winter transfer window. However, it still looks highly unlikely that Real Madrid will alter from their policy of not making any signings in January, that has been in place for the last few years.

Still, one can expect significant changes in the team’s defence in the next summer transfer window, and some recent reports in the media have already suggested the notable potential addition to the Real Madrid backline, i.e., the Liverpool defender, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The England international’s contract with the Merseyside club is running out at the end of this season and he has already reportedly told his club about his plans to join Real Madrid for the next season.

While nothing is official yet, there is no doubt that this news will excite a lot of Merengue fans, as the 26-year-old remains one of the best players in his position.

A good idea of what he will bring to the Los Blancos’ defence can be obtained by comparing his performances this season with the two players with whom he might have to compete after arriving at Real Madrid, i.e., Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez.

Before tearing his ACL in the fateful match against Villarreal, Carvajal had played 8 matches for the Merengues in La Liga, 7 of them as a starter. Since his injury, Lucas Vazquez has been the starting right-back for Ancelotti, barring the games where he has been unavailable due to injury. He has played 15 games this season in La Liga, 10 of them as a starter.

On the other hand, Alexander-Arnold also has to miss some game time due to injury, and he was also not on the pitch for the match between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. In total, he has played 16 Premier League games this season, starting 15 of them.

In these games, both Carvajal and Vazquez have scored 1 goal each, while the Englishman is yet to open his scoring account for the domestic league. However, he already has 4 assists to his name, while Vazquez has 2 and Carvajal has none.

Furthermore, according to FBREF statistics, he also has contributed significantly more than his Real Madrid counterparts in ball progression. He already has 31 progressive carries to his name, while Carvajal has 13 and Vazquez has 16. Similarly, he also has 96 progressive passes this season, which are significant higher than Carvajal’s 27 and Vazquez’s 39.

More surprisingly, his defensive statistics are also better than the two Real Madrid players. In total, he has made 40 tackles, 24 clearances, 14 blocks, and 14 interceptions this season. Of these 40 tackles, he won 30.

On the other hand, Carvajal made 12 tackles, 8 blocks, 19 clearances, and 10 interceptions this season, winning 8 of these 12 tackles. Similarly, Vazquez has made 27 tackles, 6 bocks, 13 clearances, and 4 interceptions, winning 16 of these 27 tackles.

Thus, there is no doubt that Trent’s arrival would provide a significant boost to the Real Madrid right flank. Despite his injury, there are no doubt about Carvajal’s ability, but his age is a concern, and his serious injury also raises concerns about him maintaining the level that he has shown up to this point in his career.

Similarly, Lucas Vazquez is an emergency option for the right-back position at best, despite some of his good performances this season. Thus, Real Madrid fans have all the reason to hope that these recent reports turn out to be true, and Alexander-Arnold actually dons the white jersey next season.