Having signed for Real Madrid last summer, despite having several other offers on the table from top European clubs, Arda Guler is expected to play a more prominent part for the Merengues in the upcoming season than he could in his first season at the club.
The Turk endured a difficult time in this first year, as he missed almost half of the season with a string of never-ending injuries. Even after recovering from these injuries, he was unable to get a prominent role in Ancelotti’s team because of the high stakes of the tournaments in which Los Blancos were involved and because of other players higher than him in the pecking order.
However, in the last stretch of the season, after Real Madrid had already won the La Liga title, the youngster got several chances to shine on the pitch and he took full advantage of these opportunities. He went on to score 6 goals in 10 appearances, showcasing his enormous potential to the Merengue fans.
For next season, Ancelotti will have to find a way to give more minutes to Guler on the pitch, despite having added Mbappe to his squad. At least, this should be the case ideally as Real Madrid had offered the youngster an important role in the team when they signed him.
As Mundo Deportivo has recalled, the Turk appeared in an interview to explain his decision to join the Merengues despite the interest from several other big clubs:
“Real Madrid told me that I was going to be Luka Modric’s heir, and that impressed me because he is an incredible player… When I heard about the project, I said… that’s it.”
“The project they offered me was for the long term. I was convinced the moment we sat down at that table with Real Madrid, everything was already set.”
Although he will not be a starter just yet, the next season should see him getting more minutes on the pitch and Guler developing further into a role that Ancelotti can use on the pitch.
He will have a difficult task getting a place with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Luka Modric, and Dani Ceballos, all vying for the midfield positions. But as he showed at the end of the last season, he can still make a place for himself in the team, and contribute significantly, especially in the scoring department.