Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has always been tipped as the successor to Casemiro, but with the Brazilian long gone, and Toni Kroos retiring last year, another step forward was expected from the Frenchman. Things have not gone exactly to plan though.
The 25-year-old did not hit the ground running this season – as was the case for much of the Real Madrid squad – and ended up playing much of the winter months in central defence. His weaknesses in the position were on show, and after a couple of tricky performances back in central midfield, doubts began to grow about him.
So much so that there were reports that Real Madrid were willing to move him on in the summer, with Liverpool linked with a move for the player they tried to sign from AS Monaco. However in recent weeks, Tchouameni has encountered his best form again, including strong performances against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
Against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, he was one of the few players to stand out, and while he was being whistled by the home fans in January, had converted the Santiago Bernabeu to applause. During the game, he recovered the ball eight times, made four interceptions, two clearances and won six duels.
“Without the ball, he is spectacular, it’s no necessary to point that out. The pairing today, Modric and Tchouameni did very well. He (Tchouameni) is doing very well with the ball,” Carlo Ancelotti told Diario AS after the game.
“I have not spoken to him. Tchouameni has a very strong character and personality. He is a very serious and professional worker. He handles things very well… he has handled the criticism very well.”
Ancelotti has been one of Tchouameni’s most fervent defenders, and any talk of a sale has died down completely in recent weeks. It remains to be seen whether Real Madrid will cash in on him in the summer, but given his age, and the fact he has three years left on his deal, if he continues in this form the most likely outcome is that Los Blancos will see how things go next year.
