Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti explains lack of minutes for Endrick and Arda Guler, responds to transfer talk

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is under serious pressure at the Santiago Bernabeu, after consecutive losses to Barcelona and AC Milan, during which they conceded 7 goals at home. It has led to plenty of talk about the alternatives that Ancelotti has at his disposal.

Los Blancos are now considering a move for a right-back in January according to widespread reports, a conversation that Ancelotti sidestepped during his pre-match press conference ahead of their clash with Osasuna. Currently they only have Lucas Vazquez as a natural option, a situation many are not convinced by.

#RealMadrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has told the press that he is not thinking about January signings currently🗣️

“It’s not the time. Thinking about signings means not evaluating what we have. We will talk about this in the coming months.” pic.twitter.com/GtaMq0kWuU

— Football España (@footballespana_) November 8, 2024

One of the major frustrations for President Florentino Perez is the lack of minutes for talented starlets Arda Guler and Endrick Felipe, who have one start between them, and in the case of the Brazilian, has resulted in no game time for him in the last four matches. Unsurprisingly, Ancelotti was asked about that exact issue with regard to Endrick.

“[He is] Ready to play, doing very well, showing a lot of quality in training, I say the same about Guler, they are young people who are pushing. But the collective idea is to turn things around as quickly as possible. Can you do that with them? Yes. But the objective is to turn it aronud, that is the priority. Not to give minutes to one player or another.”

Ultimately the key issue for Ancelotti is if he does play one of Guler or Endrick, then it likely means one of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham or Rodrygo Goes is not doing so. While Guler or Endrick not seeing minutes might frustrate some, dropping any of those four will likely cause him less strife – provided of course he believes they are better off with the more senior players. All of this is before discussing Brahim Diaz.