Sometimes what is needed is something different.
There is a long history in football of counterintuitive thinking being successful, of the benefits of creative tension, of adding grit to the oyster to generate the pearl, but even so, the news that talks between Vinícius Júnior and ***** nal on personal terms are progressing comes as something of a shock. Mikel Arteta's great followers of a blueprint adding a free spirit like the Brazilian? Really?
Vinícius returns to Real Madrid this week after the World Cup with movement on his future expected relatively soon. He has 12 months remaining on his contract and Madrid are keen either to tie him down to a new deal or to sell him while he will attract at least some kind of fee. As their squad rebuild goes on under José Mourinho, Madrid's position is readily understandable. They have already signed Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konaté this summer; removing Vinícius's £420,000 a week (about $30m/year) basic wages significantly increases their financial headroom.
Related: The five big beasts are gone: who will be the Premier League's next alpha manager? | Jonathan Wilson
There's been a sense since Kylian Mbappé joined Madrid two years ago that having him and Vinícius together left the squad unbalanced. Why would you need two rapid forwards who both prefer to cut in from the left, particularly when Rodrygo, who tended to be consigned to the right before tearing his ACL in March, would also prefer to play from the left? Yan Diomandé is likely to confirm his move to Real Madrid from RB Leipzig this week. Although the Ivorian has said he would rather play on the right, he too has spent much of his career on the left.
#cius #prefer
There is a long history in football of counterintuitive thinking being successful, of the benefits of creative tension, of adding grit to the oyster to generate the pearl, but even so, the news that talks between Vinícius Júnior and ***** nal on personal terms are progressing comes as something of a shock. Mikel Arteta's great followers of a blueprint adding a free spirit like the Brazilian? Really?
Vinícius returns to Real Madrid this week after the World Cup with movement on his future expected relatively soon. He has 12 months remaining on his contract and Madrid are keen either to tie him down to a new deal or to sell him while he will attract at least some kind of fee. As their squad rebuild goes on under José Mourinho, Madrid's position is readily understandable. They have already signed Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konaté this summer; removing Vinícius's £420,000 a week (about $30m/year) basic wages significantly increases their financial headroom.
Related: The five big beasts are gone: who will be the Premier League's next alpha manager? | Jonathan Wilson
There's been a sense since Kylian Mbappé joined Madrid two years ago that having him and Vinícius together left the squad unbalanced. Why would you need two rapid forwards who both prefer to cut in from the left, particularly when Rodrygo, who tended to be consigned to the right before tearing his ACL in March, would also prefer to play from the left? Yan Diomandé is likely to confirm his move to Real Madrid from RB Leipzig this week. Although the Ivorian has said he would rather play on the right, he too has spent much of his career on the left.
#cius #prefer
2 months ago
