Real Madrid have agreed on a fee with Benfica for left fullback and midfielder Fabio Coentrao. The player still has to pass a medical and agree to personal terms.
Fabio Coentrao Acquisition Puzzling With Marcelo On Roster - Managing Madrid
What’s less obvious is why Madrid would bring him on board. As Gabe Lezra of SB Nation’s (new!) Real Madrid blog, Managing Madrid, notes, Los Blancos already boast an immensely competent left back in Brazil’s Marcelo, and Jose Mourinho will have to do some juggling to accommodate both in the lineup. This makes spending so much for Coentrão more than a little confusing:
That’s the long and short of it, really. Coentrão is an excellent player, and he makes the squad better - there’s no doubt about that. Still, unless there’s some sort of grand plan here, Madrid don’t appear to be addressing their weaknesses in a particularly efficient or coherent way.
Read Article >Real Madrid Agree Fee For Benfica, Portugal Fullback Fabio Coentrao
Though Coentrao should fit Jose Mourinho’s system and he certainly has the talent to play for Real Madrid, this is still a bit of a curious transfer. It’s tough to imagine Coentrao displacing Marcelo or Angel di Maria in the early part of the season while both of those players are healthy, and 30 million Euros is quite a bit of money to pay for a backup, even if he is a great talent and he can backup two positions.
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