While Kylian Mbappe may be the talk of the town, many Real Madrid fans are simply looking forward to the prospect of seeing the array of young talent that has come into the club. The star signing (so far) is Jude Bellingham, but he is a much more known quantity – most will not have seen much of Arda Guler.
The Turkish teenager has been impressing in early training sessions, with confident touches on display. According to his former coach, Filipe Almeida was assistant manager at Fenerbahce when Guler made his debut, Madridistas can expect similarities to one of their greats in terms of style.
“I see many similarities with James Rodríguez and Luka Modric, due to his great technical quality, passing, vision and decision-making.”
Arda Güler – First training session ☝️🤍 pic.twitter.com/7waAi2DVoQ
— Ahhe 🇹🇷 (@AiiheRM) July 10, 2023
During early sessions, Guler has been seen as a right winger more often than not, coming inside. While he can play there, Almeida told Diario AS that he eventually saw Guler coming further inside.
“Attacking midfielder, a typical number 10 with freedom to get to the ball. But since his strongest foot is his left, he can also play on the right wing, allowing him to appear on the inside to cross, make the last pass or shoot. That was reflected with the last goal he scored with his team.”
We don't think Arda Guler is looking too fazed at Real Madrid.pic.twitter.com/ioQgwtwPpW
— Football España (@footballespana_) July 12, 2023
That confidence is one thing on the training pitches, but another at the Santiago Bernabeu. However Almeida believes that Guler has been well prepared for the inevitable pressure by his time at Fenerbahce.
“Clubs as big as the best in the world, like Real Madrid, put pressure on any player. I think that the pressure from clubs like Fenerbahce, which is quite high – those who know the context and atmosphere of Turkish football will understand – may have served as a good introduction in this sense, and other areas of his preparation, development and growth. If he maintains the levels of confidence he’s shown from the first moment he was called up, I anticipate the pressure of the weight of that jersey will ease on Arda.”
Guler was adamant in his opening press conference that he would not be leaving Real Madrid on loan, and reportedly has had assurances that he will play this season. He will be competing with Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo Goes and Fede Valverde if he does start wider.
A bargain compared to what some players go for in todays market. He will only get better learning from Luka and growing with Jude.