Ancelotti insists on telling his intimates that he is delighted with the squad he has. From the moment he accepted Madrid’s offer, he was clear that the project he was heading was dominated by the war economy and that, beyond the incorporation of Alaba and the more than complicated Mbappé, he was going to have to tell with the same men that Zidane had in his hands last season in which no title was raised … Or not so much. The club, and the coach himself, consider vital the return of three players who were not in the squad last year and who are already seen as signings at zero cost.
They are Bale, Odegaard and Ceballos. The first one has just turned 32 and has one left on his contract. According to the specialized website Transfermarkt, it has a market valuation of 18 million euros. Odegaard, at 22, is the one with the highest price, reaching 40 million euros. And finally Ceballos (24), now with the Olímpica, costs 27 million. Between the three they add 85 million euros in additions.
All three are strong footballers that Zidane decided not to have last season. And all three are at the origin of the loss of trust that was created between the French coach and the board. There are other players who were also on loan last year that Madrid prefers to place on the market, either on loan or sold. They are the Kubo, Brahim (this one is definitely on loan to Milan), Vallejo and mainly Jovic. In the case of the Serbian, Madrid will try a sale that alleviates the coffers of the entity, since Mariano, once again, has refused to leave the team (he has a contract until 2023 and his salary is close to 5 million euros net).
The cases.
The three footballers who are new faces compared to last season, Bale, Ceballos and Odegaard, will surely have a lot of prominence. Especially Gareth Bale. Today, the Welshman is the player with the most goals in the squad, even ahead of Benzema despite the Frenchman’s great form. If Bale managed to score a goal every 104 minutes last season, Benzema did the same every 129 minutes.
If Mbappé did not come, Madrid’s projection is to have a galactic trident with Bale himself, Benzema and Hazard. With them in good shape there are few teams that can bring together three players of that quality above. But everything will depend on whether the injuries respect the Belgian and the Welshman.
Either way, Bale is in a somewhat special situation. The footballer is handling the option of looking for an exit to the MLS in the middle of the season (when the American competition starts) to get hooked on a new project that will allow him to arrive in good shape at the Qatar World Cup 2022, That is your big goal before you think about withdrawal. It must be taken into account that, together with Hazard, he has the highest salary of the workforce (both with 15 million euros net).
For his part, Odegaard is clear that he stays this season. He had a conversation with Ancelotti in the first days of work in Valdebebas in which they assured him that he will have many more minutes than he enjoyed with Zidane. Kroos (31 years old) and Modric (35), will need frequent breaks. Ceballos is in the same case as the Norwegian, but he is waiting to have that conversation with the coach. Either way, Madrid is counting on him. Ceballos, Bale, Odegaard and Alaba … All, transfers at zero cost.