5 players Alvaro Arbeloa MUST target in January to save Real Madrid’s season | OneFootball

Real Madrid have announced the appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa to succeed outgoing coach Xabi Alonso, but the club’s problems don’t begin and end with who sits in the dugout.

There appear to be some serious gaps in the first team squad, meaning Arbeloa will have his work cut out to turn the season around if Madrid don’t go out and buy reinforcements in the winter window.

We’ve identified five players that Arbeloa should target for Real Madrid this January.

Nico Paz

Madrid famously have a cut-price buy-back clause on the superb Argentina international at FC Como, who boasts a remarkable record of six goals and six assists in Serie A so far this season.

Alonso already had something of a headache when it came to giving opportunities to Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and talented summer signing Franco Mastantuono. What’s one more into the mix?

Paz is not necessarily what Madrid need right now, but an injection of quality is never a bad thing.

One to file under ‘good problems to have’ for Arbeloa if they move this one forward. All media reports suggest that Madrid will wait until the summer, but you never know. Sometimes needs must.

Adam Wharton

While Paz isn’t really the profile of midfielder that Madrid are lacking right now, Wharton absolutely is.

England has infamously struggled to produce a tempo-setter in the mould of a Toni Kroos or a Luka Modric – the kind of midfielder that Spain produces in droves – but Wharton is that rare exception.

Los Blancos’ struggles over the past 18 months have been defined by their failure to replace either of their era-defining midfield maestros.

They missed a trick by not signing Martin Zubimendi in the summer. He’d have been perfect for the Alonso project.

Now they must look elsewhere. Wharton would fit the bill, but a young English Premier League footballer won’t come cheap.

Perez seldom sanctions a big move in January, so we can’t see this one happening – despite reports out of Spain – but it’s the kind of ambitious transfer that could save their season. Not to mention, it’d be a sound investment for years to come.

Ruben Neves

In the recent past, we’ve seen the likes of Jordan Henderson, Gabri Veiga and Aymeric Laporte return to Europe after jumping the lucratively paid Saudi Pro League ship.

Joao Cancelo appears to be next, with a move to Barcelona seemingly imminent.

Could Neves join them? The 28-year-old Portugal international has been an ever-present of the gossip columns this January, with Manchester United reportedly keen on bolstering their ailing midfield.

He’d make sense for Madrid, too. He wouldn’t be the most glamorous signing, nor a replacement for Kroos or Modric.

But he’s a decent and experienced enough player to offer something – namely the kind of balance and functionality that’s often been found lacking this season.

Kees Smit

Newcastle United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are said to be locked in a three-way battle for the highly-rated Dutch midfielder’s signature.

“I coached Pedri at Barcelona and I see things of him in Kees Smit,” Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman told reporters in November.

“The turns, the use of both feet, the vision — all of that is what I saw in Pedri back then.”

It appears inevitable that the 19-year-old will go on to bigger and better things than his boyhood club AZ Alkmaar, but he doesn’t appear in any rush to move just yet.

Smit appears focused on seeing out the season with AZ and has talked down a move away in the winter window. A shame, as their own answer to Pedri is exactly what Madrid are crying out for.

Atakan Karazor

This is nobody’s idea of a Galactico signing, but it would tick a few boxes.

Namely, according to FBref, he’s the closest profile to Zubimendi in Europe’s five major leagues.

At 29 years of age, he wouldn’t be a long-term investment, but Stuttgart’s captain is on the right trajectory, having earned his first international caps for Turkey earlier this year.

A relatively inexpensive stop-gap solution that would give Madrid some semblance of control in midfield? Why not?