Real Madrid have quickly realised that they have to make moves as soon as possible.
Despite reaching the semi-finals of the Club World Cup - and getting absolutely pulverised by PSG - Real Madrid had an incomplete squad to start the competition with in the first place.
Even though two of their newest signings of the 2025 summer transfer window played for the club in the competition, there were clear holes that the team had to address last season, which they hadn't found a workaround for in the competition.
And, one of those gaps has now been dealt with. According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid have signed Alvaro Carreras from Benfica for 50 million euros. That is great news for the fans, who were basically for a left-back signing.
The bad news is for one player, though, who just a few months ago thought he had it all planned out.
Ferland Mendy will not see the pitch that much anymore
Real Madrid, according to some reports earlier in the year, had renewed Ferland Mendy's contract to 2027. It has still not been confirmed by the club, but the reports are there. And if they are true, then the club have made a horrible mistake.
Mendy has had one of the most upsy-downsy Real Madrid careers of all time, with one good season followed by a horrendous one, and this is not good news for him, who was generally considered a nailed-on starter when fit for Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti.
He had suffered from an injury that ruled him out of the Club World Cup, but it is tough to see a player like Mendy be the starting left-back for the system Alonso wants to run at the club.
Fran Garcia is much better-suited for that role, and as is new signing Carreras, which would mean the plan to start Mendy will probably no longer exist.
Who knows, maybe Alonso could find a way to play Mendy as a left centre-back in a three-back formation. However, the chances of him being the starter next season cannot be slimmer.
He has already regressed heavily on both ends in the last year or so, and with constant injuries nagging his form and development, it will only get worse as he is not the young defender Real Madrid signed in 2019 anymore.
It remains to be seen what Alonso does with the Frenchman, but it is not looking good for him at the moment.
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