Goodbye to Bellingham, out for 4 months: Xabi Alonso already chooses the replacement

Xabi Alonso is starting to understand the habits of the locker room at Santiago Bernabéu more each day. The manager from Tolosa is also shaping his most important starting elevens, placing the players in those formations according to their strengths. However, he must be open to improvisation in those match plans.

This is especially true considering that the Basque coach knows firsthand that he will lose one of his most important players  for four months. Jude Bellingham will be absent from the first team for that period, approximately, to ultimately solve the issue with his left shoulder.

There have been certain internal debates among those closest to the English all-rounder and the Madrid sporting management. In the end, however, it was decided that Jude Bellingham will undergo surgery on that joint after the Club World Cup. That means he won't be present at the start of the 25/26 campaign: Xabi Alonso must find the ideal footballer to replace him.

A quick look at the performance of his players during the two matches already played, as well as the projections they offer to the coaching staff, have helped him to identify his temporary replacement. Arda Güler is the chosen one by Xabi Alonso and his staff according to information published by "The Athletic".

He is the most prepared player

The Turkish "15" has undergone a curious transformation since he arrived in Santiago Bernabéu locker room. His inclusion in the first team was as an attacking midfielder, directly brought from Fenerbahçe, but that position soon became obsolete considering his strengths and the team's needs.

Xabi Alonso's arrival has finally confirmed Arda Güler as another midfielder. The good ball control and vision he has shown in recent matches place him as the "dark horse" to replace Toni Kroos at the base of the play. That is the role Xabi Alonso had designated for Jude Bellingham.

Even so, it will be the Turkish "15" who will take on those tasks while the "Pride of Birmingham" is sidelined due to surgery on his left shoulder. That decision shows that the new manager of the white squad fully trusts the abilities and potential of the young Turkish prospect.

The placement of Arda Güler as an interior midfielder, taking advantage of Jude Bellingham's absence, appears to be an almost irreversible decision. Indeed, Güler himself acknowledges that this position is his favorite. He can anchor himself in the center of the field to distribute plays and organize his teammates, just as Toni Kroos did until the 23/24 season.