Real Madrid do not see key midfielder as captain material heading into new season - report

As players participating in the World Cup slowly look to return to Santiago Bernabeu in preparation for the season ahead, Real Madrid have some important decisions to make.

For one, their previous captain, Dani Carvajal, has left the club, which creates a vacancy for a new club captain. Federico Valverde is the clearest candidate, having deputised for Carvajal in the past.

But a recent chain of events has led to Real Madrid harbouring doubts over Valverde.

Real Madrid do not see Valverde as captain

According to journalist Jose Felix Diaz, speaking on the Ruben Martin livestream, Real Madrid do not see Valverde as a captain, thus casting significant doubt over what had seemed a straightforward decision.

This comes on the back of earlier reports that suggested Florentino Perez harbours reservations about the midfielder’s captaincy credentials.

It is a surprising development, given Valverde has long been viewed as one of the future leaders of the club, thanks to his seniority, passion and professionalism.

What led to these doubts?

Part of the reluctance may stem from a difficult period for Valverde, both on and off the pitch.

The midfielder was involved in a bust-up with Aurelien Tchouameni last season, an incident that saw both players fined half a million euros.

Valverde was also identified as a central figure in the dressing-room unrest that engulfed Xabi Alonso’s short-lived tenure, having publicly appeared to resist playing at right-back before Alonso’s dismissal.

His relationship with Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa also broke down, with Valverde among the players who confronted the coach before their decisive World Cup match against Spain, a tournament that ended in a group-stage exit for the Uruguayans.

Those episodes, combined, may have contributed to the doubts now surrounding his candidacy.

The Vinicius factor

Complicating matters further is the reported desire of Vinicius Jr to wear the armband.

The Brazilian is understood to be very keen on becoming a Real Madrid captain and in many ways, the attacker deserves it.

Vinicius is one of the club’s global faces and a player Perez has defended strongly for years.

Handing him a greater leadership role could help strengthen his bond with the club during ongoing contract renewal talks, though Real Madrid will be wary of allowing the captaincy to become a bargaining chip in those negotiations.

Fulham’s newly-appointed head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has made Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia his primary transfer target as he begins reshaping the squad at Craven Cottage.

According to Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, the Premier League club have identified the 22-year-old striker as a leading priority to fill the attacking vacancy left by the high-profile departure of Raul Jimenez.

Arbeloa looking towards Real Madrid for reinforcements

Arbeloa, who was officially announced as Fulham’s new manager on Tuesday night following the exit of Marco Silva, has immediately looked to his former club to reinforce the frontline.

The connection between Gonzalo and Arbeloa is quite strong. Not only do they share the same representative agency, but the striker also enjoyed an increase in prominence at the Santiago Bernabeu after Arbeloa stepped in to succeed Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid manager.

Garcia has built up valuable top-flight experience in Spain, racking up 35 La Liga appearances since making his senior competitive debut for Real Madrid back in 2023.

The Spanish centre-forward found the back of the net six times last season, showing his clinical nature and sharp movement in and around the box – qualities that Arbeloa believes can help him seamlessly adapt to the demands of Premier League football.

Gonzalo might not be the only target

As per the report, Fulham’s recruitment department has mapped out a busy summer window, with the board prioritising immediate additions at centre-forward, on the wings, and across the central midfield.

Insiders close to the London outfit understand that Arbeloa is keen to expand his raid on the Spanish capital club, with the manager actively pushing to bring more than just one Real Madrid academy graduate across to Craven Cottage.

As already reported today, the Spanish tactician is also exploring the idea of bringing in Franco Mastantuono on loan.

However, Jose Mourinho, who has succeeded Arbeloa at the Santiago Bernabeu, intends to see both Gonzalo and Mastantuono in action in pre-season before deciding on whether to retain them or let them leave.

For now, though, Gonzalo has emerged as a leading target for Arbeloa at his new club, and it remains to be seen if a move goes through.

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