Initial reports that Real Madrid may be considering loaning out Arda Guler have been backed up, as Los Blancos edge towards an exit for the Turkish starlet. Guler, 18, arrived from Fenerbahce for around €25m including variables last summer with huge expectations, but has barely featured this season.
That is in no small part down to injuries, with three separate problems keeping him sidelined for the first six months without making his debut. However he has been fit for the past six weeks, and has only seen 89 minutes of action, most of which came in a cup tie against Arandina.
Part of those expectations have come from Carlo Ancelotti talking Guler up, but Relevo say that Los Blancos are edging towards loaning him out in the summer. They feel a similar spell away could help him in the same way that it did Brahim Diaz, and are concerned that a lack of minutes could halt his development, but they are keen for Guler not to see it as a step backwards.
The alternative is that he remains working in the background and continues to follow their physical plan to bulk up his frame. Equally, that risks further frustration from the teenager – the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe if it happens, and Endrick Felipe are not liable to open the for him further.
His temperament has become something of an issue. Ancelotti has noted that Guler is too liable to getting ahead of himself when things are going well, and collapsing when things go poorly. It’s something that has been seen with Guler losing his temper at being left on the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu, and the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have spoken to him about trying to manage his emotions and see his situation with perspective. Head of Recruitment Juni Calafat, who has been key in Guler’s arrival and adaptation will have a big say in his path.
It could be argued that Ancelotti’s talking up of Guler, which was no doubt in order to maintain the Turkish talent’s morale through injuries was one of his rare mistakes this season. The 18-year-old clearly has expectations over game time, but the reality is that the Italian cannot afford to be dropping the likes of Rodrygo Goes or Brahim Diaz for him currently.
