Eder Militao shows the TRUE cost of Mbappe’s Real Madrid move

Robin Bairner

• 9 Nov 2024 14:29 CST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid’s decision to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer continues to look worse with almost each passing day, with a serious injury to Eder Militao raising further questions over the transfer policy of president Florentino Perez.

Mbappe might have arrived on a ‘free transfer’ but he very certainly did not come cheap. He received a massive signing-on bonus while his wages are said to have eaten up the savings made when Nacho Fernandez, Toni Kroos and Joselu departed in the summer.

Indeed, it was the lavish investment in Mbappe that prevented the club from signing additional cover at centre-back, despite knowing David Alaba was in the midst of rehabilitation after a long-term injury and that they were already going to be a player down due to Nacho’s departure.

Madrid felt they could use their gravitas to secure Leny Yoro on a free transfer next summer, but Manchester United swept in to sign the promising young Frenchman, who would not have arrived in time as cover in any case. They are set to pay a high price for this attitude.

Current ETV

Kylian Mbappé

F (C)

Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé

F (C)

Real Madrid

€151.1M

ETV Range

€113.3M - €188.9M

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Rudiger the only fit option

Now Eder is out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury – adding to a long-term injury to right-back Dani Carvajal – Carlo Ancelotti’s side have only one fit senior centre-back in the form of Antonio Rudiger.

Alaba could be back by the end of the month, yet after a long absence the risk of the Austrian picking up more niggles is very real, while he cannot be expected to cope with the rigours of the busy schedule the Bernabeu club face.

All this, of course, raises questions about Madrid going all-in on Mbappe – a player it seems that they didn’t even necessarily felt they needed given their repeated insistence that Vinicius Junior is the best player in the world and should have won the Ballon d’Or.

As if to emphasise this point, Vini scored a hat-trick against Osasuna in LaLiga on Saturday while Mbappe offered little by comparison.

In the meantime, Real Madrid face seven tricky weeks until the January transfer window opens, during which they will be forced to muddle by with Rudiger and a makeshift option, potentially Aurelien Tchouameni, who played the role on occasion last term.

It’s not an ideal solution, particularly since Ancelotti’s side are under pressure both in LaLiga, in which they trail Barcelona, and the Champions League.

This is the true cost of the decision to sign Mbappe, which is a deal that looks increasingly regrettable.