Real Madrid will bid farewell to another two players this week. Toni Kroos announced his retirement earlier this month, and in the last couple of days, it’s been revealed that both Nacho Fernandez and Joselu Mato will be joining him at the exit door, as they move to Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively.
Because of the departures of Nacho and Joselu, the Spanish representation in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad is set to drop by 25%. Coupled with Kepa Arrizabalaga heading back to Chelsea following the end of his loan deal, Real Madrid would only have five Spanish players in the first team – although that will increase to six when Jesus Vallejo returns from Granada.
As per Relevo, it means that Real Madrid are on course to set a record low for number of Spanish players in their first team squad. The previous record is eight, which is how many there has been for the last three seasons. The current projected number of six could drop over the summer, with Vallejo unlikely to stay, while Dani Ceballos and Fran Garcia may also be moved on.
Further to this, none of Real Madrid’s projected summer signings (Alphonso Davies, Leny Yoro and Franco Mastantuono) are Spanish, so the number is not expected to increase. However, it could, as Kepa has been lined up as a possible replacement for Andriy Lunin, should he decide to leave.
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