Real Madrid had a somewhat disappointing start to the new season. They won their sixth UEFA Super Cup, but two draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas mean Carlo Ancelotti's side are currently four points adrift of Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table.
The summer transfer window was rather quiet for Los Blancos. Kylian Mbappe and Endrick Felipe were signed before it even opened, and as it turned out, they were the only additions to Ancelotti's team. As for the departures, there were four: Kepa Arrizabalaga (returned to Chelsea), Nacho Fernandez (expiry of contract), Toni Kroos (retired) and Joselu Mato (sold to Al-Gharafa).
This deal meant that Ancelotti has fewer players to work with than he did last season. That is already starting to take its toll, with five players currently suffering from injury problems: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, Ferland Mendy and Aurelien Tchouameni – although the latter pair are not expected to be out for more than two weeks.
So far, Ancelotti's team is ruined, and especially in defense and midfield. It might not have mattered too much in the first few weeks because there aren't too many devices, but it could have a serious effect in the coming months. Real Madrid is one of several teams that will play weekend-midweek-weekend for some time between now and December.
So, with that in mind, should Real Madrid look to sign him? Central Defense say that an offer should be placed for Alphonso Davies to join in January, although it is unlikely that anything will happen as he will be available as a free agent next summer (and the left back is not a priority position).
It has become clear that the reinforcements will certainly help Real Madrid, especially in navigating the complicated schedule. It may not be as bad from January onwards, but there will still be some – plus, it's worth bearing in mind that the Club World Cup takes place before next summer's transfer window.
At the very least, a central defender or central midfielder should be signed. The former can be covered by Aurelien Tchouameni as a 3rd / 4th choice option, but then he needs to get out of the midfield, meaning that an extra body would be valuable here.
Despite that, it would be surprising to see Real Madrid go for someone unless it was an emergency. Florentino Perez seems determined to avoid spending any “unnecessary” funds – which is surprising because there is so much money that has been, and will be generated by the club.
