Real Madrid set to pursue number nine – Five options named | OneFootball

Real Madrid sorely missed target man Joselu Mato this season, with the veteran forward’s contributions not replicated off the bench this season despite their offensive firepower. Now it seems Los Blancos will look for a similar option on the market this summer.

Last year, the now 35-year-old Joselu Mato had the best goal contributions to minutes ratio of any Real Madrid player, scoring 17 times and assisting thrice in his 49 appearances. The former Castilla product also had a profound impact on opposition defences, clearing space for the likes of Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

Joselu decided to leave Real Madrid, feeling that with the arrival of Endrick Felipe and Kylian Mbappe, he would not have sufficient opportunities, while also having a lucrative offer from Qatar to consider. Mbappe was clearly the leader of their attack, but Endrick featured sparingly this season, registering seven goals and an assist.

Real Madrid will look for forward this summer

As per El Chiringuito, Real Madrid will peruse the market for a classic number nine this summer. They name Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, Osasuna’s Ante Budimir, Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, former Xabi Alonso player Patrick Schick, and Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade as options on their shortlist.

Image via Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Vlahovic is expected to be on the market this summer, although not at a cheap price. Palace seem likely to demand a large fee for Mateta, who plays a starring role for them. Woltemade has been made a target by Atletico Madrid, but both he and Schick would recommend more moderate investments. Meanwhile Budimir would be the most similar in terms of profile to Joselu, and finished third in the Pichichi race with 21 goals, behind only Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski.

How would Xabi Alonso use a number nine?

Recent reports have suggested that Alonso is edging towards a 4-3-3 formation, which would complicate matters more than if he were to use two up front. Even if said arrival would be mostly used off the bench, unless Alonso sees Endrick coming in from wide, it would de facto mean one of a hypothetical forward or Endrick would see their opportunities reduced.