Beyond the slaps: the difficult reconstruction of Florentino Pérez's toy
High contracts, footballers in decline and unprecedented bad mood in the Real Madrid locker room
BarcelonaEliminated from the Copa del Rey by Albacete, runners-up in the Spanish Super Cup, defeated by Bayern in the Champions League, and eleven points behind Barça in the League with only twelve left to play. With the classic on Sunday at the Camp Nou (9 p.m.) still to come, Real Madrid will confirm another season without trophies. What was meant to be an exciting year for Madrid fans has turned into a nightmare. Xabi Alonso was supposed to bring titles back to the Bernabéu, but his ideas were never truly believed in the dressing room, much less by Florentino Pérez, who in January decided to let him go and put Álvaro Arbeloa in charge. Four months later, the results have not arrived and the dressing room has been caught in a hostile climate. The all-powerful white president will have to roll up his sleeves in the summer to regain stability.
In an unbreathable atmosphere, highlighted by the slaps between Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, Madrid is preparing for the team's reconstruction. Everything points to it being without Arbeloa, although it is an option that the former full-back may keep his job at the club due to his great affinity with Florentino. In parallel to the choice of the next coach (the slaps between Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni,, Madrid is preparing for the team's reconstruction. Everything points to it being without Arbeloa, although it is an option that the former full-back may keep his job at the club due to his great affinity with Florentino. In parallel to the choice of the next coach (José Mourinho has many chances of returning to the Bernabéu), the squad will also undergo a deep cleaning process. However, the only two sure departures are those of David Alaba and Dani Carvajal. Both contracts end in June and there is no intention of renewing them. The Austrian has participated in fourteen matches this season, while the Madrid native ends his cycle after a year marked by injuries, poor performance, and a lack of harmony with Arbeloa.
In the squad there are many dispensable players who will be able to shelter under their contract if they do not find another solution for their future. In this group are Raúl Asencio (under contract until 2031), Eduardo Camavinga (2029), Dani Ceballos (2027) and Fran García (2027). Asencio has gone from being almost undisputed to ending up relegated to obscurity. Camavinga has had a very inconsistent season and has played more as a substitute than a starter. Ceballos has not been counted by coaches for years and this will be the definitive one. And Fran García has not convinced much more than Álvaro Carreras, signed from Benfica with great fanfare last summer, nor Ferland Mendy, a good full-back decimated by muscle injuries.
The most expensive squad in the League
High and long-lasting contracts are a major enemy for Florentino. Apart from Alaba and Carvajal, only one player's contract ends in June: Antonio Rüdiger, who could extend his white tenure for another season. The rest of the squad have commitments from 2027 onwards. According to estimated data provided by the specialized portal Capology, Madrid is the League team with the highest salaries. In total, only in fixed salaries, it has annual obligations worth 434 million euros. With these figures, it is normal for most footballers to be reluctant to move to clubs that would pay them less. However, without significant departures, the club will not have the muscle to sign the pieces it needs so much, starting with a playmaker who makes us forget Toni Kroos.
There are two more players who are not counted either, but in this case it would be to loan them to some team so they could gain experience, as has happened with the Brazilian Endrick, who has so far scored eight goals in twenty games with Olympique de Lyon. They are Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo García. In his first season in Madrid, the Argentine has not justified the more than 45 million he cost. A loan will be sought for him. Gonzalo is a different case. He stood out in the last Club World Cup with four goals and an assist in six games. They would like to sell him for a good sum of money, but keeping a buy-back option.
Four months have passed since Arbeloa became Madrid's coach and the bad atmosphere in the locker room has only gotten worse. Managing egos is a very complicated job. Glances, ironic smiles, grimaces, and repeated complaints have been the protagonists throughout the season. From Valverde's refusal to play as a full-back when Alonso was still managing the team and Vinícius's little show in the first-round classic, to Carreras' raised eyebrows at Cornellà-el Prat. The hostility has finally exploded with the leak of a slap from Rüdiger to the Galician full-back in training and the conflict with Tchouaméni involving aggression with Valverde, but it has been latent throughout the season.
You only need to see the constant bickering between Mbappé, Bellingham, and Vinícius on the same pitch. Of these three, only the Brazilian has an uncertain future. His contract ends in 2027 and Florentino wants to keep him, but the fans are starting to get tired of his character, and that's why they boo him. Sectors of the Madrid fanbase have even collected signatures to ask for Mbappé's sale after he went on a romantic getaway to Sardinia in the middle of an incident during his recovery from a muscle injury. With this scenario, the worst thing that could happen to the Merengues was to visit a packed Camp Nou full of boos. They won't do the guard of honor, but if they don't win, they will see their eternal rival lift the League title right in front of them. These are very dark days for the immaculate white.
