The Premier League midfielder Real Madrid should sign instead of Paul Pogba

Real Madrid, judging by all the signs that point towards it, are going to have a big summer transfer window in 2022. They are slowly looking at every position and thinking of which player they can get. We know that Kylian Mbappe is almost certainly going arrive next season as a free agent, judging by all the recent transfer rumors that have been popping up.

As we know, Real are also following Antonio Rudiger, and will make a move for him if he doesn’t extend his contract with Chelsea before the end of the season. I think Real should go for him because he won’t really cost as much as the other, more expensive options available in the market, plus, you get consistent, assured defensive stability from the German, who seems to have had a transformation since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel.

Now, we talk about the midfield. It’s one topic that generally brings a lot of discussion. Would Real Madrid go for Paul Pogba? Would they be willing to pay him that much money, while also having to deal with other fees? Would they rather go for a CDM in Aurélien Tchouaméni and forget about the central midfielders for a season or two? I wouldn’t say that’s wise, which is why I have one player that checks most, if not all the boxes. He’s young, improving at a rapid rate, and the sky is the limit for him.

Youri Tielemans could be a better option for Real Madrid to consider than Pogba

I don’t know why I feel like this man isn’t in the conversations enough. Tielemans is a great option to have in midfield. He’s strong on the ball, he’s a great dribbler, he creates a lot of chances, he tracks back and helps Leicester City in defense. He’s not perfect, he has his flaws. But, he also has time to correct those flaws, and the time will come when he will be considered as one of the best midfielders in the world.

The biggest thing is, Tielemans is younger than Pogba, and will probably cost less, even with a transfer fee. His contract expires in 2023. He will definitely demand a lower salary than Paul Pogba, which is great because then Real Madrid will have more flexibility in terms of wages to use on other signings in the long run.

One thing I’ve noticed in Tielemans is that he always “brings it”, you know? Like with Pogba, you’re conflicted by what version of Pogba you’re actually getting. Is it the player that performs well in the big moments, or is it the one that doesn’t do as well as you’d expect him to do? That probably won’t be a problem with Tielemans.

I’ve also noticed an upward spiral in most of Tielemans’ statistics. He’s improved on already impressive numbers, and those numbers are bound to go even higher up with a team like Real Madrid. This season, he’s averaging 0.28 goals, 0.16 assists, 2.41 shots, 2.54 key passes, 5.74 passes into the attacking third, 3.61 shot-creating actions and 2.13 blocks per 90. All of these statistics have been improved on from last season.

While Tielemans can improve his passing accuracy, which is around the early 80s, it’s mostly because he’s trying to make riskier passes. He’s not playing the safe option, he’s trying to make things happen. He’s in the 91st percentile for progressive passes per 90 for midfielders, which is second in the Premier League with 81, just behind Joao Cancelo who has 83. The Belgian is averaging 7.50 of those every game, just short of Pogba, who makes eight of those. The difference is, Tielemans has played more games than Pogba, so it’ll be interesting to see how Pogba’s numbers look after a few games whenever he returns from injury (even though Tielemans still needs to improve his passing accuracy regardless).

Speaking of injuries, Tielemans has only missed 14 games due to injury, per Transfermarkt, something that will be welcomed with open arms at Real Madrid, given their rather unfortunate injury record in the past two seasons.

I really, really think that Real Madrid should consider Tielemans as an option for the midfield, because if they don’t go for him, someone else will, and you really don’t want to miss out on a player like him.