Real Madrid’s Rumoured Move for Joselu Marto: A Potential Masterstroke

Real Madrid’s best out-and-out striker clocks 36 this winter, and he is still without a reliable backup or an understudy to help reduce his total minutes played per 90.

Mariano Diaz, who was brought back in the summer of 2018, has done next to nothing regarding his contribution since returning to his boyhood club in the Spanish capital.

Throughout the 2022/23 season, Real Madrid has had either of Rodrygo de Goes or Marco Asensio deputise for Benzema in any instance of absence.

Following Los Blancos’ elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Manchester City, a chain of players have been linked to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

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One player that has caught the eye and which remains very much a possibility is a former Real Madrid striker and current Espanyol forward, Joselu Marto.

Relevo claims the Spanish giants have a serious interest in the Pericos forward with the club facing the very real prospect of relegation from the top flight this summer.

For some reason, this transfer may just be the perfect fit for Real Madrid and here is why it makes perfect sense.

Benzema not ready for replacing

Benzema has still got it. At 35, he isn’t the long-term solution but Real Madrid are relying on his status as their top scorer with 29 goals in 40 games.

Maybe that’s not going to win him another Ballon d’Or award, but it’s certainly a good number judging by his age and fitness.

Looking closely at stats provided courtesy of FotMob, Benz still has the highest match rating of any Madridista this season. Injuries have hampered his season no doubt, but as his 40 appearances show, he’s still in good shape.

Being the only number nine for 60-game campaigns was never going to be sustainable at his age, but there’s clearly no need to unceremoniously ship him out. Real Madrid have other priorities for record-breaking signings.

If Benzema is on his way to the home for the elderly, Luka Modrić is in intensive care. If the Spanish club can afford to break the bank this summer, something they’ve been reluctant to do in recent years, it should be on building the future of their midfield.

Joselu would be an addition that would allow them to focus their budget elsewhere and spend wisely to provide that backup option with quality at a low cost.

Joselu fits Real Madrid’s style

Part of Real Madrid’s problem is that there has been no alternative to Benzema. Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t been able to rotate or switch things up and when plan A doesn’t work, the Italian coach has found himself between a rock and a hard place with little depth to help get himself out of the trap.

The other issue is that no one offers an option to change the game plan. The Frenchman is strong in the air, but is more about getting onto chances than holding up long balls forward. That’s what Joselu does well for Espanyol. Mariano Díaz can play in this way but lacks in quality and consistency.

Bizarrely, only Lucas Ocampos has a higher aerial duel success rate of all La Liga forwards at 54.36%, and he ranks fifth for aerial duels per 90 at a whopping 8.98. If Real Madrid are going to bomb the box with crosses, they’ll need someone there to get on the end of it and Joselu is that man.

Sign Joselu to stop him

Beyond how good Joselu could be, at least Real Madrid won’t have to face him next season. He has scored 8 goals and recorded 1 assist in 10 games against Los Blancos, including a run of scoring in 5 of his last 6 games against the club, dating back to 2020.

The target man is married to the sister of Dani Carvajal’s wife and has more links to the club. In two appearances for the Spanish titans, playing only 18 minutes against Almería in La Liga and Ponferradina in the Copa del Rey in 2011, he scored once and recorded an assist.

Joselu has also played 73 times for Castilla, scoring 40 goals, including 4 against Mirandés across two play-off final games in the race for promotion to Segunda in 2012. He knows Real Madrid, and he knows what it takes to score goals - what could go wrong?

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