In a press conference on Thursday, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti discussed several topics, some of which were related to the transfer market. The Italian technician notably revealed that the club already had a replacement for Karim Benzema, in response to a question about a possible arrival of Mbappé this summer.
Real Madrid traveled to the United States last Wednesday as part of their pre-season summer tour. The squad was completed on Thursday with the arrival of several internationals, including Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and David Alaba. With all players now available, coach Carlo Ancelotti can focus on preparing for upcoming friendly matches, including a Clásico against FC Barcelona.
During the press conference, Ancelotti stated, “We have always felt good here (in the United States). It’s a nice place, we can train well, and we have important matches to see where the team stands. All the players have returned in good condition. We are confident and delighted to start the season well,” as relayed by Footmercato. He was then questioned about the transfer market and new recruits.
Recruits and Mbappé “I am very happy with the players who have arrived; they will help us and bring quality to the squad. Fran Garcia will fill the left side very well, where we had problems last year. Joselu can bring us more in aerial play and penalty situations. Arda Güler is very talented; he is very young, and I think the fans will appreciate this player. Jude Bellingham is a great midfielder with qualities we did not have in the squad. He moves forward very well without the ball. The squad has improved,” Ancelotti stated.
The Italian coach also confirmed that he would try a new system, as the Spanish press has been reporting for weeks: “I want to try something new at the beginning of the season. We will see how it goes, and if it doesn’t work well, we still have the old system that has brought us so much success in the past.” The 4-4-2 formation is notably being practiced by the Madrid players during training.
To end, Ancelotti was asked about the rumors surrounding Kylian Mbappé. While the coach refused to talk about players from other teams, he assured that the club did not need to recruit another forward to replace Karim Benzema, who left for Saudi Arabia this summer. “I have never spoken about players who are not at Madrid. I can talk about the number of new players we have: Bellingham, Fran García, Arda Güler. Brahim also, who is returning very well from his experience in Milan. He is a stronger and more complete player. I can also talk about the quality of Modric, Vinicius, or Rodrygo. Speaking about players who are not here doesn’t seem right to me,” he said.
Then, when asked by a journalist if KM7 could be the natural replacement for KB9, the Madrid coach was straightforward: “We already have it (Benzema’s replacement, editor’s note). It could be Joselu, or we can play with another system.” The Mister was later asked if Madrid could manage a season with only one true number 9. “Yes, yes. It’s true that we have always had Karim, even if he was not a pure number 9, but the system can adapt to the players’ characteristics. A player who has arrived can bring a lot offensively, like Bellingham,” he added.
