There’s been a lot of speculation lately about where the 25 year-old attacking midfielder might play come this summer. The former Malaga man, like many players on Real Madrid’s bench could be starting for other teams in La Liga or anywhere in Europe for that matter.
Los Blancos have a wealth of riches riding the pine for most matches. Is it time for Isco to go and play for another club where he’s going to get solid starting minutes? As of right now he’s played 1,086 minutes in La Liga, most of which are off the bench. In limited playing time he’s managed to rack up 6 goals and 5 assist.
The clubs that are rumored to be looking at the bearded wonder are: PSG, Manchester City, Juventus and FC Barcelona (if the press is to be believed). Personally, I don’t see FCB getting anywhere close to Isco – but as for the other teams, their names have shown up a lot more in the press which can be an indication.
He’s a midfield wizard who deserves more time on the field of battle and the only way for him to do this, in my opinion is to move on from Real Madrid come this summer. Trust me, if there was a way to keep him around and in the starting XI I’d be all for it. But we can I think agree that at this point in time, it’s not possible at all. It’s hard to crack the XI when you’ve got Luka Modric and Toni Kroos ahead of you.
That duo is written in permanent ink on the lineup sheet. Let’s face it, if they’re not injured, they play. Isco also has to fight for playing time with James, Mateo Kovacic and Marco Asensio (though he’s been mostly deployed on the wing lately).
If you are to believe the British press, it’s Man City in the lead for the midfielder and plan to come at him aggressively this summer. City are also blessed with a midfield of stars. So where would Isco fit in Pep Guardiola’s plans? He could take the roster spot of Yaya Toure, as Toure is getting up there in years and at 33 he might not fit into Pep’s plans come the end of the season. There is also David Silva to think about, Isco could be used as a long term option. We know Pep likes to experiment with different formations which could work in the versatile midfielder’s benefit.
I think he could slot into that midfield with no problem. By the way, this isn’t the first time
Here are his minutes in La Liga since arriving for the 2013/2014 season.
2013/2014: 1993
2014/2015: 2339
2015/2016: 1828
2016/2017: Currently 1086
It’s might be possible for him to meet or surpass his minutes from last season. He needs 742 league minutes to at least tie his total from last term. It’s hard not to ignore that his minutes have come down since the 2014/2015 season. The Club is going to have to start rotating more now that we’re deep into the Champions League and we have a League to win as well. So with that, I’m sure Isco will pick up more minutes, fingers crossed let’s hope they’re starting minutes.
Even though he’s hasn’t had a lot of time on the pitch, he’s made the most of it. He’s already surpassed his La Liga goal total from last season. Six goals this season so far, he had 5 last term. So he’s definitely improving to a point that Perez might not have a choice and sell him because some team (cough Man City cough) is going to throw around the right amount of cash.
If it were to happen I think it would be a win-win. We get some good cash for a great player who – just isn’t afforded the opportunity that he deserves at Real Madrid.
So what’s my conclusion and the answer to the title of this particular piece is – yes I think he needs too. I want to see Isco succeed, he’s one of my favorite players and it would be selfish of me to want him to stay at a club where he’s a bench player.
I don’t think Isco is the only one that could be headed out this summer, I still maintain that James (not unlike Isco) needs to go out to another club so he can get the minutes he deserves, just like Isco.