With the signing of Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid has officially created an ensemble of the biggest stars in the galaxy. In other words, they have their Galacticos 3.0 ready. The big names include Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes, Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchoumeni, Eduardo Camavinga, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, Endrick, and Brahim Diaz. The only problem the Madrid club will have is, who to play and who to bench.
And there will be certain players who may fall victim to this question. And one name certain to suffer from success is the 19-year-old Arda Guler.
The Turkish player showed the world just how much talent he possesses after practically being Turkey’s best player in their Quarterfinal run at the Euros. With 2 assists and a wonder strike to his name, Arda Guler proved why he is one of the best teenagers in the world. But at club level, he is much behind in the pecking order. The predominantly left-footed player plays either as a CAM or a Right Winger. 2 positions that are the most stacked at Real Madrid.
For the CAM position, Guler will face competition from Jude Bellingham, Brahim Diaz, Luka Modric, and Dani Ceballos. While for the wing position, Madrid has Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz, and Fede Valverde, all capable of playing on the wing. In both positions, Arda Guler is 3rd or 4th in the pecking order.
This would mean that throughout the season Arda Guler will have to be content with a rotational role in the squad and would only start in matches where Bellingham, Rodrygo etc are being benched for either fitness issues, rest or general fatigue. While this would be a perfect environment to grow in as a footballer this is not what any top-level footballer envisions.
In a year or two, Guler would be eyeing a starting spot, which seems highly unlikely with the kind of quality Madrid have at their disposal. This is where his potential as a player will start stunting. With less game time his development as a footballer will touch the ceiling too soon. And the only way for Madrid and Arda Guler to get the best results will be by sending him out on loan or selling him somewhere else.
While there is a slight chance that Guler exceeds expectations by a mile and earns a starting spot at Real Madrid that seems like a very distant thought considering the sheer quality this Madrid team has. And so, Arda Guler will have to eventually leave Real Madrid for the sake of having more opportunities and to become his best self.
