(Football news) Real Madrid last season won the La Liga and the Champions League. Marcelo, Gareth Bale and Isco left the club for free but it wasn’t a loss as such because the trio didn’t play that much. The club signed Aurélien Tchouaméni and Antonio Rudiger but sold Casemiro in the final days of the window. Los Blancos had an incredible start to the season but soon the form dipped. After the World Cup the players looked fatigued and hence the resultd dried up. David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni picked up injuries along with Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy.

In the draw against Real Madrid didn’t have a single full back fit. Now even though Dani Carvajal and Aurélien Tchouaméni have resumed training, Real Madrid still don’t have enough depth at right back and left back. Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vazquez will be absent for quite a while Carvajal is extremely injury prone. On top of that Real Madrid don’t have a natural right winger and a proper backup for Karim Benzema. Despite all this Real Madrid decided not to make any signings in January because according to reports they don’t ‘believe’ that winter signings work. 

Real Madrid for the past few years have always focused on long term signings and have never really gone for a short term option. The signings of Javier Hernandez and Emanuel Adebayor have worked in the past but Los Blancos have changed their strategy. This window Real Madrid were reportedly offered a chance to sign the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Joao Cancelo among others but the club said no. They have signed back academy graduate Fran Garcia from Rayo Vallecano but he will join in the summer. The president of Vallecano said that Madrid could’ve signed Garcia in January but didn’t do so.

The strategy could end up costing Real Madrid as they have matches in La Liga, FIFA Club World Cup, Champions League and Copa Del Rey coming up. Carlo Ancelotti has always said that they wouldn’t sign anyone in January but according to reports he has asked for signings behind the scenes to which the club has asked him to utilise the academy players. It is pretty clear by now that Ancelotti doesn’t trust any of the academy players so it will be interesting to see how the season pans out for Real Madrid.

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