Real Madrid are believed to have defeated the likes of PSG and Chelsea in the race to sign Endrick from Palmeiras.
The Brazilian wonderkid was arguably the most in demand young talent on the planet and he will be playing his football at the Santiago Bernabeu from the summer of 2024.
Of course, it was an expensive operation and Los Blancos are believed to have agreed a €72 million transfer package to sign him.
Naturally, there is a big risk involved in shelling out that kind of money to sign a 16-year-old with very little experience at the senior level. But then, he has already earned comparisons with Ronaldo Nazario and is believed to be the biggest talent to come out of Brazil since Neymar.
Thus, the risk could be well worth it in the long run, if Endrick’s development goes as expected. His first steps in the senior game have been very positive to say the least.
Endrick has declared Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol recently as well, and it looks like that had a part to play in him choosing Real Madrid. As reported by MARCA, the Brazilian wonderkid said:
“Real Madrid are a very big team. Vini had sent me messages and gave me more hope. Cristiano also, who is my idol, played for Real Madrid. That’s why I chose Real Madrid and I think it’s the right choice. God has always been with me and he has told me that it is the best way.”Endrick makes Ronaldo claim after signing for Real Madrid
Ronaldo has been in the middle of some controversy in recent times, with his Manchester United career ending in unexpected fashion and a disappointing World Cup campaign followed. Now, it is believed that he could be on his way to Saudi Pro League club, Al-Nassr.
Let’s see how things turn out but one thing that is for sure is the fact that Ronaldo is one of the best ever and arguably the greatest player in Real Madrid history.
He is also one of the most popular athletes of all-time and it is great to see that his legacy at Santiago Bernabeu has made Real Madrid an even more attractive destination for the future generation of players.
Manchester United have Cristiano Ronaldo theory wrong and Liverpool and Cody Gakpo will prove it
Manchester United couldn’t afford to sign Cody Gakpo, but they also had one other reason not to pursue the signing. Liverpool are about to challenge their theory.
For Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, seeing Cody Gakpo unveiled in Liverpool red is bound to hurt.
Ten Hag had a ‘long-standing’ interest in Gakpo (via the ECHO), with whom he shares an agent (SEG), and there was time when he seemed destined to move to Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s football director John Murtough even met with SEG chief executive Keev Vos at Carrington earlier this month (via The Athletic). But as it turned out, United didn’t have the money available to sign Gakpo this month, having spent just under £230m last summer.
And, according to The Athletic, there were also some figures at Old Trafford who had their reservations. United need a centre-forward following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, but Gakpo has operated exclusively as a left winger for PSV this season, and some questioned his ‘suitability’ to play through the middle.
For their own £44m transfer to be a success, Liverpool will have to address these concerns. If Gakpo isn’t an effective number nine option, then the transfer may prove to be a mistake. He may wind up as little more than cover and competition for Luis Díaz.
The Reds, according to The Athletic, believe that ‘he can play across the forward line’. Manager Jürgen Klopp, meanwhile, said on Wednesday when the transfer became official that he saw Gakpo as a ‘very versatile’ footballer (via liverpoolfc.com). But will their vision be realised?
Encouragingly, Gakpo has already talked himself up as a potential Roberto Firmino successor, insisting he has the qualities to operate as a deep-lying centre-forward in Klopp’s system, as well as a left winger.
“When I played at the World Cup, I played more in the centre,” he told liverpoolfc.com. “I played like a ‘false nine’, something like this — try to find my spaces to get the ball and to dribble or to move the ball forward.”
It’s tempting to wonder whether, as he set out his plan for Gakpo in their talks, Klopp placed a big emphasis on this dual role.
Perhaps the most important endorsement comes from Loran Vrielink, the founder of Tactalyse, a company that has been offering tactical coaching to Gakpo since January. Speaking to The Athletic, Vrielink described Gakpo as ‘a multi-functional player who can perform in different positions and adapt really fast’.
The Dutchman’s experience of central positions is limited to just 19 games at club level and 10 games internationally, but he’s put so much work into understanding tactical nuances that he can confidently slot into different systems and different roles under different coaches. This could prove to be one of his biggest assets at Anfield.
“He is a smart player who understands what is needed and what it takes to play at the highest level,” as Vrielink succinctly puts it.
There is clearly an expectation among all parties that Gakpo won’t simply be a left winger at Liverpool, and that he will be able to deliver as a centre-foward too when required. He is, after all, only 23, and still in an early phase of his development as an elite footballer.
If he can shine both through the middle and out wide for Liverpool, then their arch-rivals Manchester United will truly rue this transfer as the one that got away. With Ronaldo gone, Gakpo made plenty of sense for Ten Hag. But Liverpool had other ideas.
Source: therealchamps.com; liverpool.com
