Real Madrid are notorious these days for not doing any business in the January transfer window, but this season they did sanction an exit. Brazilian forward Endrick Felipe left on loan to join Olympique Lyon in Ligue 1 until the end of the season, in a bid for more game time and a spot in the Brazil World Cup squad.
His lack of minutes came under Xabi Alonso though, and with Alvaro Arbeloa now in charge, and Endrick having a great start to life at Lyon, some are already asking the question whether it was a mistake to let him go. Real Madrid are in a tight title race with Barcelona, and as BetGoodwin casino can attest, they are very much in with a chance of winning it.
They may not have Copa del Rey duties to consider any more after their exit at the hands of Albacete, but they do still have a considerable burden of matches to deal with, particularly if they go far in the Champions League. Endrick’s goalscoring instinct, his pace and his technical ability could have come in useful for Arbeloa. The fact that he seems to be using a system that prioritises releasing strikers into space, and playing forward quickly, would in theory suit Endrick more than Xabi Alonso’s style, and more than Gonzalo Garcia.
The latter was the main reason Endrick was receiving so little game time. Garcia is more of a target man, and does provide a different option to Endrick, who is perhaps more similar to Kylian Mbappe. That said, Garcia’s hat-trick against Real Betis at the start of the month is a sign that it would not have been easy to usurp him in the pecking order.
“I wanted to leave Real Madrid to play. When Lyon contacted me, I accepted immediately. I’m very happy,” Endrick commented on his move to France. Even if Arbeloa might have got more out of Endrick, the chance to regain his confidence and get more regular football may well deliver more for Los Blancos down the line.
Real Madrid will no doubt be keen to protect what could end up being a €60m investment, and were he not to have made the move now, it may have made it harder for him to get back on track, and may have delayed his development for another season – another six months of little game time might have led to a loan in the summer. As it is, Real Madrid could get a confident and motivated Endrick back for the start of next season.
