Why Real Madrid won’t sign a striker this summer
FT Desk
- 3 Aug 2022 18:15 BST
- 3 min read
It has been a quiet summer transfer window for Real Madrid, with few waves being made either in incoming or outgoing deals.
And that is unlikely to change in the coming weeks, particularly in the reigning Spanish and European champion's forward line.
According to AS, Carlo Ancelotti believes that he has the talent already present in his squad to ease the pressure on his inspirational centre-forward Karim Benzema.
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Benzema is coming off his best-ever season, having scored an incredible 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions.
That tally includes 15 strikes in just 12 Champions League games, 10 of which came during a virtuoso run in the knockout stages where the Frenchman put Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City to the sword on the way to his side's triumph.
But at 34 and with the additional burden of World Cup preparations on the horizon Madrid would be smart to carefully manage Benzema's playing time over the first few months of the 2022-23 season, allowing him to arrive in peak condition to Qatar and then the decisive months of the campaign.
That leaves something of a dilemma around the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Isco, Gareth Bale, Luka Jovic and Borja Mayoral have all left the Merengue this summer, thinning out their numbers in the final third of the pitch.
Nevertheless, even without making further signings they have plenty of talent still there, particularly if Ancelotti is willing to get creative in finding his Benzema deputy.
Hazard & Asensio have chance to shine
Eden Hazard, for example, is back at full fitness and could well take the centre-forward role, albeit in a more withdrawn, 'false nine' version.
Marcos Asensio is also ready to fill in if needed after completing a remarkable turnaround in recent seasons to prove to Madrid he can occupy a regular first-team spot.
Add to that duo the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Mariano and Madrid appear to be well-stocked up front even with the recent exits.
The club suffered an acute transfer blow right at the start of the summer when Kylian Mbappe opted to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, after months of speculation linking him with a free transfer.
Madrid have since entered the market but only for players further down the field, completing the signings of Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni from Chelsea and Monaco respectively.
Having enjoyed such a spectacular 2022-23 season, it seems clear that Ancelotti is happy to trust the core of the squad which delivered those twin triumphs, in stark contrast to rivals Barcelona who have spent heavily to strengthen in their quest to regain supremacy in Spain.
