Real Madrid have found themselves in an envious position as they've elevated their Champions League winning squad to the next level within just one year. Two signings later, the Los Blancos have replaced Luka Modric, Carlos Casemiro and Toni Kroos. When you thought that their team couldn't get any better without the five-time Champions League-winning midfield, Florentino Perez proves that anything is possible.
The European Giants have signed both Edouardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni in the last 365 days to accompany Federico Valverde, who joined in 2018. The age range of the trio is 19-23, meaning that they have many years ahead to enjoy some success at the Bernabeu. Modric, Kross, and Casemiro range between 30-36 but have aged like fine wine as together they won another League title and European trophy to add to their career tally.
Whilst Real Madrid remained focused on replacing their powerhouse in midfield, Chelsea have massively lacked in that aspect and could expect to see N'Golo Kante and Jorginho out of contract at the end of next season.
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The Blues have faced an awkward end to their season as they said goodbye to one of their main defensive players, Antonio Rudiger. They are also set to part ways with homegrown Andreas Christensen on a free. Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are strongly linked with moves to Barcelona with Christensen this summer window. Thomas Tuchel was far from prepared to replace such integral players in his system but has been left with no choice.
Unfortunately, Chelsea could see the exact same situation with their midfielders if they are not careful.
After winning the Champions League in 2021, it was still clear that the Blues were suffering from issues in midfield. N'Golo Kante's injury record grew, and the Frenchman had struggled to reach optimum form on a weekly basis. Jorginho was also struck with injury and unreliability issues under Frank Lampard which raised questions as to the kind of personnel that the Blues needed in midfield. The second Tuchel came into the squad and turned results around. It was as though the worries from the past had been nothing but a short-lived nightmare. Kante put on Man of the Match performances in the Champions League, and Jorginho had a run worthy of a claim to the Ballon d'Or.
Real Madrid once had reliability issues with their midfield once upon a time. Questions were asked as to whether Modric and Kross had run out of steam due to their age and whether Casemiro was still the correct fit for the squad. Madrid's struggle after Zinedine Zidane's initial departure raised alarm bells but was settled by the time he returned, and the Los Blancos went back to winning ways. It is clear that the Madrid hierarchy did not ignore these red flags and began their hunt to acquire the best new talents to uphold their world-class expectations.
Camavinga was tipped to become one of the greatest midfielders in the near future. The French international was hot property last summer and was wanted across Europe at the age of 18. Real Madrid beat everybody to the finish line as they have now done with Tchouameni. The french connection between the pair is sure to be the right ingredient to make a delicious midfield once the veterans in the squad retire from the game.
It would have been nice to have had forward-thinking ideas for the squad. It would have made life much easier for Tuchel this season and a lot easier for Todd Boehly in this summer's transfer window. Their main target Tchouameni has been snatched up by the Los Blancos, so Chelsea needs to think fast about how they would like to integrate new midfielders into the team. They will also have to keep in mind that they could lose their own version of a world-class midfield next summer if contracts are not extended in time.
