Bellingham v Casemiro: Real Madrid show Man Utd how to run a club
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 7 Oct 2023 16:47 BST
- 3 min read
Real Madrid are enjoying the fruits of their recruitment staff’s labour. Jude Bellingham was brought in over the summer window despite rival interest in the England international from Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United.
In his inaugural season for Los Blancos, in ten games so far, Bellingham has netted ten goals and provided three assists. It’s a promising start to life for the former Borussia Dortmund star - and it speaks volumes about the pragmatic approach that Real Madrid deploys in the market, with huge onus on the future.
As Scott Saunders of 90min rightly says, the Spanish midfield setup is designed to thrive for the next decade, even though the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are expected to leave in the following summer. And to finance this transformation, they wisely parted ways with Casemiro, who left to Man Utd, just before his obvious decline.
They also sold Raphael Varane to the Red Devils. The Frenchman has missed 35 matches due to injuries since his transfer. The combination of both players, now in their thirties, has cost Man Utd a potential £110million - which is just £4m shy of the amount that Real Madrid paid for 20-year-old Bellingham this summer. It’s clear that one club exhibits astute management and ambition, while the other appears to be lacking direction entirely.
Man Utd must rethink recruitment
Man Utd appear to thrive off buying names rather than considering players that would seamlessly blend into their - or Erik ten Hag’s - system. Furthermore, Casemiro and Varane are among Man Utd’s biggest earners - cumulatively their salaries amount to £700,000 per week.
In contrast, for the same amount, the club could hypothetically have Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Andy Robertson, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and still have money left over. Man Utd are overpaying for the players other clubs are happy to see the back, both in their salaries and transfer fee.
Their purchases, when not pushed by poor recruiter Ten Hag, appear to have sponsorship and the immediate future in mind. There is no project to speak of at Man Utd. It is all about the now - and it has failed time and time again. They must seek to emulate the blueprints set out by other elite clubs, such as Real Madrid, if they are to stand any chance of continuing their reputation as one of the biggest sides in the world in the coming years.
