Tchouameni: the reason Real Madrid sold Casemiro to Man Utd
FT Desk
- 21 Aug 2022 09:40 BST
- 3 min read
Some Real Madrid fans were upset on hearing of Casemiro's €82 million transfer to Manchester United, but in Aurelien Tchouameni they have a player who could soon make them forget about their loss.
Casemiro has been arguably the best ball-winning defensive midfielder in world football over the last decade, the Brazilian underpinning the great Real Madrid side that won three consecutive Champions Leagues between 2016 and 2018.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was looking forward to pairing them in the Madrid midfield, too, saying after his side's European Super Cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this month that: "Tchouameni, by the way, is going to improve and learn a lot alongside Casemiro."
🚨 OFFICIAL: Real Madrid have confirmed they have signed Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.
Deal worth €100m, with €20m of that to come in bonuses. pic.twitter.com/6jrQprLF4b— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 11, 2022
Obviously that will no longer be the case with Casemiro set to complete his transfer to United, but it would seem Tchouameni has already absorbed enough from the Brazilian if Saturday's 4-1 win at Celta Vigo is anything to go by.
Admittedly, the European champions started as overwhelming favourites against Celta, but Tchouameni still outdid his teammates on a number of measures at the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos.
Stellar stats
The 22-year-old Frenchman had the most clearances (4), interceptions (3) and ball recoveries (9) of any Real player across the 90 minutes, his defensive display providing the platform for midfield teammate Luka Modric to go and get involved in two of their four goals.
Tchouameni cost some €100m when he arrived at the Bernabeu from Monaco this summer, but that Real have already recouped the majority of that fee for a player eight years his is fast looking like a masterstroke.
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"We have other players with other characteristics who can play," explained Carlo Ancelotti. "Tchouameni is more similar to Casemiro, but also Toni Kroos can play there.
"Casemiro understood very well what Real Madrid is about. But there comes a time when you want to try something new, even if you feel very well. It's something personal and I understand it."
If Tchouameni keeps performing like on Saturday, the Casemiro blow will be softened quickly.
