Arda Guler’s World Cup campaign with Turkey has not even kicked off, but he already finds himself in the headlines on a consistent basis. That is because of the uncertainty around his future. Jose Mourinho is the new Real Madrid manager and is not someone who has a history of backing youngsters at top clubs. On the other hand, Xabi Alonso is the new Chelsea boss.
Guler is one of Alonso’s favourites from his time at Real Madrid. And reports have been doing the rounds lately that Chelsea could be willing to make a £100 million offer to sign him.
It remains to be seen if they are accurate or not. But Mourinho seems to have a clear stance when it comes to the future of Guler.
According to AS, with Real Madrid working on a midfield refresH, Guler’s role is becoming more central, not less. The Turkish international is viewed internally as a key creative piece in the next version of the team.
Mourinho’s stance on working with Guler
Mourinho did show interest in Guler during his time as Fenerbahce boss as well. He was believed to be keen on bringing him in on loan, when minutes had been hard to come by at Real Madrid.
It is easy to forget, but it has not always been smooth sailing for Guler at Real Madrid. He immediately dealt with multiple injuries upon arriving in the Spanish capital.
That was followed by a lack of consistent game time under Carlo Ancelotti. But that changed once Alonso became manager of the club.
It was a short time, as Alonso was sacked in the middle of the season. But it was enough to establish Guler as a starter.
Why Alonso won’t be enough to bring Guler to Chelsea
Guler has held on to his starting role since then. And it looks like that will continue to be the case, even with Mourinho as the manager of the club.
That should close the door when it comes to any potential move to Chelsea this summer. If Guler is in the first-team plans at Real Madrid, he simply will not end up at Stamford Bridge.
One can understand the Alonso factor. But that can only do so much. Chelsea do not have Champions League football on offer and have not played at an elite level since BlueCo’s takeover, except for that Club World Cup-winning campaign.
So, Chelsea should turn their eyes elsewhere and look for other players who can help Alonso. They are believed to have held internal talks over Marcus Rashford recently. As for Guler, it looks like his future lies at Real Madrid.
