Real Madrid
How Real Madrid Could Deploy Erling Haaland or Michael Olise After Pérez’s €150m ‘Galáctico.’ Pledge
Perez pledges a €150 million “Galáctico.” and examines how Madrid can line up with Haaland or Olise.
Voting is almost upon us and both candidates in the race to become Real Madrid’s next president have laid out their grand plans. The incumbent Florentino Pérez has already revealed plans to reinstate José Mourinho as manager and sign defenders Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries. He also promised a record-breaking bid of €150 million ($175 million) for a new “Galáctico.” Pérez, who was speaking on TV show Horizonte, teased the player was a midfielder or forward and not in the Premier League. While he also directly denied the player was Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, several reports have suggested that the London-born France international is, in fact, the mystery man in Pérez’s crosshairs.
Both Erling Haaland and Michael Olise represent very different tactical possibilities for Real Madrid. There is limited flexibility with the City striker. At 6’5″ the Norwegian is the ideal modern striker: both a target man and poacher, deadly in the air and with his feet, as strong as he is quick. Without sacrificing Mbappé, the only realistic accommodation would be to push the Frenchman out to the left, where he often plays for France, with Haaland occupying the middle in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. That configuration leaves little room for Vinicius Junior.
Against weaker opposition Madrid might attempt a 4-4-2, with Mbappé alongside Haaland up top and Vinicius Jr out on the left, but that solution is described in the draft as more appropriate for video games than reality. In a scenario where the other would-be president Riquelme wins, Rodri — another of the promised signings — would be expected to shoulder much of the defensive work in midfield.
Michael Olise offers a different profile. One of the world’s most exciting dribblers, he would immediately add thrust to Madrid’s right-hand side. On paper, a frontline of Vinicius Jr, Mbappé and Olise threatens sluggish defenders. Though he typically operates from the right, the 24-year-old has shown versatility for Bayern Munich, France and previously Crystal Palace, and has the skillset to play more centrally as well.
Manchester United
JJ Gabriel settles on Real Madrid as Manchester United exit nears
JJ Gabriel has chosen Real Madrid over Barcelona, leaving Manchester United with little compensation.
Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel has made his preference clear, with Real Madrid chosen ahead of Barcelona as the next step in his career.
The move towards La Liga had already become a serious focus for Gabriel, with both Spanish giants competing for his signature. In the end, it is Real Madrid who have come out on top in the race.
MARCA spoke to Gabriel in Madrid, where he has been working with a personal trainer while the final details of his expected switch to the Bernabéu are put in place. When asked why he wanted Madrid rather than Barcelona, Gabriel answered, with the report suggesting his expression carried the message: “Obviously, Madrid.”
His intention to leave United is understood to have frustrated him and his family, particularly because the club had not moved quickly enough to bring him into Michael Carrick’s senior squad. It later emerged that he may have been in line for his senior debut only days after making the request.
Rather than choosing a quieter path elsewhere and building towards a move later on, Gabriel and his representatives appear to have aimed high from the start. From the outset, only a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs was under consideration.
Gabriel evidently believes he can make a greater first-team impression in Madrid than at Old Trafford, and it is assumed he has received strong assurances during talks with Real Madrid.
A spell with Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s reserve team in the Spanish third tier, is expected first. Even so, he is also anticipated to be given chances in La Liga and the Champions League once the transfer is fully completed.
For United, the departure is doubly painful. They are set to lose one of their most highly rated academy players, and they will not receive meaningful compensation in return.
Had Gabriel joined another English club, United would have been due a fee that would have been determined by a judge if no agreement had been reached. The previous record stands at the £8 million Liverpool paid for Danny Ings in 2016.
Because the move is overseas, that route does not apply. Real Madrid will instead be governed by “FIFA training compensation,” with the deal expected to cost no more than $400,000.
Man Utd
JJ Gabriel and the Real Madrid path that awaits after Manchester United exit
Real Madrid are close to Gabriel, but the teenager’s path from United remains uncertain and demanding.
The move that has hovered over JJ Gabriel’s future now looks close to resolution, with Real Madrid reported to be nearing a deal for the teenage forward.
His eligibility to join a club overseas has been helped by his family background. His father is an English-born former Republic of Ireland international, while his mother is Greek-Cypriot, allowing him to move beyond Brexit restrictions in the next transfer window.
Reports already place Gabriel in Spain, where he has been working with a personal trainer, and a January switch now appears to be the likeliest outcome.
Gabriel’s rise has been anything but ordinary. He began with Top Ballerz FC, gained attention through YouTube skills videos while still in elementary school, and later spent time in the academies of Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham before joining Manchester United in 2022. At United, he has broken several records, including appearing for the U-18s at 14 and scoring a hat trick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League earlier this year.
He also arrives with a sizeable profile away from the pitch, with close to one million Instagram followers and a long-term Nike deal already in place. He is managed by his father, who changed his son’s name from Joseph Junior Andreou O’Cearuill to JJ Gabriel for marketing reasons.
In football terms, he is viewed as a versatile forward who can operate centrally, just behind the striker, or from the left. He has already been compared with Lamine Yamal, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Arsenal teenager Max Dowman.
The break from Manchester United stemmed from a disagreement over his route to first-team football. His exit became more likely after he was left out of the squad to face Sabah in the Champions League. There have also been suggestions that requests linked to training, selection and pay were made on his behalf.
The Telegraph claims that Madrid have “put together a projected fast-track pathway for Gabriel towards the first team.” That may begin with Real Madrid Castilla, but the club are expected to keep open a route into La Liga and the Champions League.
Should the transfer be completed in January, Gabriel could even become Madrid’s youngest-ever player, overtaking Martin Ødegaard. But the Norwegian’s story is a reminder of how difficult that environment can be. As he said in The Players’ Tribune : “With the B team, I wasn’t with them regularly so I didn’t find that connection. In the first team, I was just some kid who came to train. I wasn’t involved in matches. I felt a bit like an outsider. I was stuck in between.”
Ødegaard left permanently in 2021 after only 11 first-team appearances, and Gabriel’s challenge would be no less exacting. Real Madrid may offer a plan on paper, but the reality for a 16-year-old in a demanding second half of the season could prove far less forgiving.
Manchester United
Real Madrid Reach Verbal Agreement With JJ Gabriel As United Exit Worsens
Real Madrid have a verbal agreement with JJ Gabriel, but Manchester United’s exit battle is becoming messy.
Real Madrid have reportedly secured a verbal agreement with Manchester United academy forward JJ Gabriel, but the teenager’s exit from Old Trafford is far from straightforward.
Reports say Gabriel’s representatives raised concerns over playing time, with those demands left unanswered by Michael Carrick. That helped spark a sequence of media briefings and talk of an immediate termination of his contract, turning a departure into a complicated dispute.
Once it became clear that one of Europe’s most highly regarded academy players was available, interest quickly followed. Bayern Munich publicly entered the picture, while Paris Saint-Germain reportedly saw an offer turned down. Arsenal and Manchester City were also said to be involved, but Real Madrid now appear to have won the race for his signature.
According to the reports, the Spanish club have reached an agreement with the player and his representatives on terms for a professional deal ahead of a proposed January move, as first reported by Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg and later backed by BBC Sport.
The England U-17 international can move within Europe while still only 16 because of an EU passport linked to Cypriot and Irish relations. Even so, his choice to join Real Madrid rather than a domestic rival is expected to carry both financial and reputational consequences for United, who are reportedly weighing legal action.
Gabriel is still registered with Manchester United despite reportedly walking out and ignoring attempts at contact after scoring a hat trick on his UEFA Youth League debut. His junior agreement, signed when he was 15, remains valid, and the club is believed to be considering “legal action” against any European side that tries to sign him, the Manchester Evening News reports.
There has not yet been any dialogue between United and Real Madrid. FIFA must still approve the move, while the training compensation United may receive is expected to be modest, with figures as low as £100,000 ($135,000) and unlikely to rise beyond £300,000 ($405,000) for the player known as “Kid Messi.”
