Real Madrid striker threatened club with decreased performance, court confirms | OneFootball

Real Madrid forward Joselu Mato has been involved in a legal battle with former club Alaves for several months, relating to a contractual dispute. Yet the court proceedings have not left him in a good light.

Joselu left Alaves on a free in 2022 to join Espanyol, after his contract expired. Following one season with Los Pericos, he joined Real Madrid on loan last summer, who now have a €1.5m buy option on him this summer.

The 33-year-old took Alaves to court though, claiming he was owed €300k in a redundancy package. While the final verdict on that matter is yet to be known (so far it has not been confirmed), El Correo say they have had access to some of the judge’s sentence. Within that sentence, it confirms that Joselu threatened Alaves with a reduction in his effort on the pitch.

“The footballer’s desire to leave the club emerges no matter what at the end of the 2021-22 season is evident. This being the case, the player announced a decrease in his performance with the goal of forcing a non-renewal of his contract for the 2022-23 season.”

Alaves had a clause in his deal that meant they could unilaterally renew his deal for a further season, which Joselu did not want to happen, allowing him to move as a free agent. The Basque side ceded to his desires, bearing in mind at the time they would have been fighting for survival, before eventual relegation to Segunda.

It is not yet clear whether Joselu will face any legal consequences for that threat, but it does not reflect particular well on his professionalism. Real Madrid are yet to give any indications regarding his future beyond the summer, but there is little doubt he will have suitors if they do not make his loan deal permanent, after a strong season as a rotational option at the Bernabeu.