Real Madrid went against Xabi Alonso on summer transfer decision | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso is fighting for his job as Real Madrid head coach, having only just arrived in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen. Interestingly, it has now been revealed that the club ruled against him on one matter before he had even step foot in the Bernabeu, in what can be claimed as a sign of things that were to come.

Just before the end of last season, it was announced that Luka Modric would be leaving Real Madrid after 12 trophy-laden years. The midfielder had been a rotation option for previous manager Carlo Ancelotti, which was one of the reasons why the club made the decision not to offer him a new contract.

This week, El Mundo have revealed that Modric wanted to stay at Real Madrid, and he even offered different reductions in his salary in order to convince senior club officials to extend his stay by another season. Alonso also wanted his former teammate to stick around, but he was told a resounding “no”.

Image via Luke Hales/Getty Images

Real Madrid wanted to bet on younger players

Real Madrid’s decision behind leaving Modric’s contract run out was simple: they wanted to count on the players already in the first team squad. The likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde and Arda Guler are rated incredibly highly within the offices of the Bernabeu, and it was seen that the Croatia international was not necessary.

Since then, Real Madrid have struggled, with midfield being one area that has seen difficulties. More importantly, it is Modric’s experience and leadership skills that Alonso’s squad is missing out on, with only the likes of Thibaut Courtois and Dani Carvajal seen as “seniors” in the dressing room.

Modric is currently thriving at new club AC Milan, but as for Real Madrid, they appear to be missing him more than they know.