2024/2025 Midfielders Rumours Thread

sdvroot

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Bear in mind the way the accounting costs work even if Oaktree simply aim for a break-even policy. If Frattesi is sold for 30m euros then Inter will record a gain of 12m on him (he cost 31m on a 6 year deal, this can be amortised over 5 years max so 6m euros a year and he's been there for two). It's also 5m euros off the wage bill, so 17m euros to play with.

Let's imagine they bring in Ricci at 30m and Paz at 25m, similar lengthy contracts and with wages of 4m and 3m. Ricci would thus have an annual cost to the club of 10m and Paz of 8m = 18m. So for Year One at least you could bring in two good (we hope) replacements for one non-functioning one without increasing your squad cost. Of course that changes from year two onwards, but you have hopefully good younger players now who can improve and themselves be a good potential future asset.
And who's gonna play center defense and offense? We don't need Ricci, Paz and Sučić to replace one Frattesi ) If you sell Asllani and buy Ricci, Ricci will have a wage 100% more than Asllani. Paz has a point only to buy and give him on loan for a year until Mkhitaryan's contract expires otherwise it is also an increase in the wage bill.
 

Jnr

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Real is not stupid. To agree this now and then see Como slapping a 50-60M€ price on his head in the summer .

Isn't he on 6M€ transfer with 50% sell on fee ( plus some buyback future options ( 15M€ in 2026)

Perez could just wait until 2026 summer with that 15M€ buyback, the guy could be superstar by then and worth 100M€
 

Besnik

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I wouldn't be surprised if Real Madrid decides to give him a chance. He's very well liked by their fanbase, and seems like a hot prospect. Besides, Real Madrid will most probably have a new coach in the summer (Xabi Alonso?), so I guess he might be a player whom fits in his philosophy. Paz is very creative. It won't be easy to sign him though.

Como can wash their hands already, but even for a team like Inter, doesn't seem like an easy business tbh.
 

Capo

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If he returns to Real Madrid, someone will have to be let go...their squad is stupid deep.
 

RotterdamNerazzurri

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I wouldn't be surprised if Real Madrid decides to give him a chance. He's very well liked by their fanbase, and seems like a hot prospect. Besides, Real Madrid will most probably have a new coach in the summer (Xabi Alonso?), so I guess he might be a player whom fits in his philosophy. Paz is very creative. It won't be easy to sign him though.

Como can wash their hands already, but even for a team like Inter, doesn't seem like an easy business tbh.
They have Bellingham and Valverde for his position. Güler en Brahim could play there too. I doubt they have room for him tbh.
 

Besnik

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They have Bellingham and Valverde for his position. Güler en Brahim could play there too. I doubt they have room for him tbh.

None of current midfielders in Real Madrid are THAT creative. They have a mix of strength and stamina, but not so much creativity IMO. Arda is very creative but he's more of a wide player, while Brahim is just meh. Not that good tbh, he will never be a starter, no matter the coach.

Not a realistic situation right now, but I said they might give him a shot in the near future. He's shown that he's able to play in a couple of positions and he's doing it pretty well.

I find Bellingham to be overrated. He gets way too much credit, which I think it doesn't suit to what he offers in the pitch. He's such a moody player. Valverde is a great asset for the team, because of his versatility and stamina, but honestly don't think he's THAT good. I told my friend whom is Real Madrid fan, that their team will have a serious issue finding a proper playmaker once Kroos will retire.

Real Madrid's issues are quite obvious, and that's why they're getting exposed in particular situations. They're winning matches mostly on individual brilliance. Not exactly similar situation to Milan's Scudetto season before a few years, but there's a similarity how they've won matches and also title eventually.
 

Kramerica Industries

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None of current midfielders in Real Madrid are THAT creative. They have a mix of strength and stamina, but not so much creativity IMO. Arda is very creative but he's more of a wide player, while Brahim is just meh. Not that good tbh, he will never be a starter, no matter the coach.

Not a realistic situation right now, but I said they might give him a shot in the near future. He's shown that he's able to play in a couple of positions and he's doing it pretty well.

I find Bellingham to be overrated. He gets way too much credit, which I think it doesn't suit to what he offers in the pitch. He's such a moody player. Valverde is a great asset for the team, because of his versatility and stamina, but honestly don't think he's THAT good. I told my friend whom is Real Madrid fan, that their team will have a serious issue finding a proper playmaker once Kroos will retire.

Real Madrid's issues are quite obvious, and that's why they're getting exposed in particular situations. They're winning matches mostly on individual brilliance. Not exactly similar situation to Milan's Scudetto season before a few years, but there's a similarity how they've won matches and also title eventually.

You sound like you watch a lot of Real Madrid. So do I. I'll tell you what I agree and disagree about from what you write here.

Agree:
  • Madrid midfield in general lacking creativity. Definitely. I wrote a post here last season where I went into detail about this, about the deficiencies they will have in terms of midfield creation (as well as general ability to control game tempo) once Kroos and Modric retire. At the time, I didn't know for certain Kroos was going to retire at the end of the season, but he'd talked about retiring for some time and nobody could be surprised when he pulled the trigger. It's also why I told anybody who would listen that it was paramount that Kroos and Modric not retire/leave in the same summer, that it would just be too big of a blow to lose both those guys and their skillsets at the same time.
  • I personally don't rate Brahim for very much either, but I'll say that he's done better than I expected he would do upon his return to Madrid (I honestly thought they were doing Milan a favor, I didn't rate Milan Brahim whatsoever) and when he does play it's usually as a RW, not in midfield, and he does bring a lot of work rate defensively, although he's a better 1v1 defender than he is off the ball.

Disagree:
  • I feel the Valverde assertion reads harsher than you might intend it. Valverde unquestionably brings three skills that make him impossible to drop from the XI: his flexibility, his long range shooting, and his defensive work rate. You can plug the guy anywhere on the field and he'll give you a performance. Put him at RB? He's delivered at Anfield in the Champions League before playing as a RB. (I've been surprised he hasn't been used as one more often this season in Carvajal's absence because Vázquez is a genuine sieve and Madrid has conceded many goals through teams preying on him.) He can play as a wide midfielder. He can play in a double pivot. He's played as a right winger before (he delivered the assist on the winning goal in the '22 CL final playing as a RW). He has an absolute cannon of a shot, especially on his right foot. Maybe not too surprisingly his goal scoring can fluctuate with this - he only scored three goals all of last season - but he's scored nine goals this season and I think seven of the goals were on shots from outside the box. He's one of those players who are uniquely capable of consistently scoring long shots with the sheer power and accuracy he has on his shot. And he's an absolute monster in his tracking back and ball winning. These skills are what elevate him to where he is now. My biggest fear with Valverde is that his legs are going to be shot by the time he's 30 from the sheer miles he's put on them, but we can re-evaluate that in a few years.
  • "Moody" isn't really one of the words I'd use to describe Bellingham. I guess that word can work when talking about his goal scoring tendencies because he's prone to going on goal scoring spurts and then going silent for a while afterwards, but nobody knew his goal scoring capabilities prior to last season anyway. Nobody expected him to score 19 goals in La Liga when he signed with Madrid, it was one of Ancelotti's tactical maneuvers that allowed Bellingham the ability to make those 3rd man runs into the box that presented him with the opportunity to bump up his goal scoring. I feel it might also be worth noting he's scored six goals (should be seven) in his Madrid career that were winning goals in stoppage time. Combination of a clutch gene and outstanding instincts for sensing where the ball might go on potential rebounds quicker than anybody else around him. I would also say to take a look at the defensive stats on him too. His rates for tackles, interceptions, blocks, clearances, aerials are all excellent.

I'll say this much - I do feel there's a play for Nico Paz in their squad in a season or two, and to some extent I think that was something they were hoping for anyway. The sale to Como came with buyback options available in three successive summers. They don't sell him to Como at a cheap price if they weren't going to keep firm tabs on his future. They did the same things with Carvajal and Morata many years ago, and in both cases they brought them back when they showed the promise they were hoping from them. I don't think Paz is going to return to Madrid as long as Ancelotti's there, there's just no way he's going to give him the time of day. Ancelotti is extremely reluctant to trust young players (sound familiar?). He barely gives their academy the time of day, when as it turns out if he had used Raúl Asencio at all earlier in the season, maybe Militão's other knee wouldn't have exploded this year. Asencio has been a god-send for them and their perilously-thin CB position, but nobody knew until Militão was injured again. I digress, it's not in Nico's best interest or Madrid's best interest to trigger the 2025 buyback if Ancelotti stays for the last year of his contract. If he leaves/retires and it's a new manager (likely Xabi Alonso) for 2025-'26? Maybe a different story.

It's no secret that it's my personal hope that Madrid will choose to cash in on him instead - I started the damn thread about Nico on this forum - but Madrid had rumours for quite a while linking them to Florian Wirtz, and those rumours made a decent amount of sense, Wirtz is the exact type of creative mid that Madrid are a bit in short supply of. (He plays further advanced than Kroos did, however.) With the news that Wirtz extended his contract at Leverkusen recently those rumours have kinda died off, but I could see them looking at their former academy graduate and thinking he could be a cheaper alternative that checks a lot of the same boxes anyway. The Güler signing in some ways feels a little bit silly, especially in retrospect, when you consider they already had Paz there. If I had to choose between the two, I think Nico's the better player.

----

One thing that definitely isn't happening is Madrid renegotiating the terms with Como that will see them essentially wash their hands of him. No chance, doesn't make any sense to do that. That's just pure Como optimism being expressed there.
 

SiamoNoi

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Never understood Inter fans following evil from Madrid.
 

CraigM

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As a general point I detest that complex buyback clauses are now a staple of every sale of a young player made by any decent sized club. It's a really bad development for the game and I'm surprised there is not a greater legislative pushback against it.

Not only are the continent's bigger clubs hoarding the best young players and thus denying smaller clubs access to them unless they are happy to loan them and act as little more than development projects, now even when they sell them it's never finite - they still control these players futures and can just buy back at a small premium the ones who do well.
 

Nerazzurri_Ninja

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Ive wanted Ricci for a couple yrs now, make it happen. Shame were gona lose Fratessi though.

Id like Nico Paz but i dont see this happening
 

wera

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Since Sučić thread isn't opened, let me write up a few midseason stats for y'all

In CL
Dude skipped the first game against Bayern (9:2) loss, played the next 3 games - draw 2:2 against Monaco (scored a goal), RB Salzburg win (0:2), Slovan Bratislava win (1:4 - scored again) - these three games he played most of those matches, usually subs came late in the game

After that he was injured

Other than that, Dinamo Zagreb have better results when he is playing than not. Not necessarly all about him, but the dip in form is noticable ever since he got injured.

Also, we are paying for the potential, not because he would be starting position ready already. Look clumsy at times, needs to shield the ball better, but he knows how to pass the ball and would be another player for the set pieces.
 

wera

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As long as he isn't another Nainggolan, I'm ok

I prefer to have an average player in our squad that is a hard worker than a player that is not playing to his potential because he doesn't care.
 

brehme1989

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As long as he isn't another Nainggolan, I'm ok

I prefer to have an average player in our squad that is a hard worker than a player that is not playing to his potential because he doesn't care.



fucking hell it's been 5 and half years already and here I am thinking Nicolino Berti played two weeks ago :D
 

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RotterdamNerazzurri

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So most probably Sucic will be our Frattesi replacement.

I wonder what our plan is for midfield coming mercato. Ricci would make sense for the vice Hakan role. Asllani can be sold or moved to a more advanced position. I would love Paz, but there isn’t really place for him. Zielinski just arrived, and although he didn’t so well until now, I don’t think he’ll be gone. Assuming Mhiki’s fitness, performances and Limones love for him, he’s staying too.

Best case scenario ytd imo; Hakan/Ricci, Barella/Sucic, Mhiki/Paz. But I’m afraid that’s a unrealistic scenario too. We can only hope for one of Ricci / Paz to join on top of Sucic.
 

junkie

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Isn't Sucic more a replacement for Calha?
 
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