It's time for a rant on Real Madrid's youth policy and treatment of Spanish players. Particularly under the recent Florentino Perez and Ramon Calderon regimes, the policy has been piss poor. What sparks this rant, is the latest rumors in the Spanish press that Florentino Perez wants Fernando Llorente at Real Madrid! "Floris" is the hottest property in Spain right now, prolific in both La Furia Roja (aka the Spanish National team) as well as at his club Athletic Club de Bilbao.
But is Real Madrid really a good place for Llorente to excel? Floris is accustomed to a club that develops, and mentors it's players at the core. At Athletic Club, the team is more important than the individual. This is the antithesis of Real Madrid's Galactico philosophy.
At Athletic Club, the principles of a strong unit, collective, is the focus. The squad is more like a brotherhood of players which symbolizes more than just a football club. It represents the identity of the region. The little shepherd boy from La Rioja, who does not speak Euskara, was welcomed into the clan, also known as Athletic Club. The cantera is of utmost importance. It is the life and blood of the club due to it's strict Basque only policy. The culture shock and transition to Real Madrid could be a career killer for Llorente.
Just look at Real Madrid's track record of late. The number of cantera players who make it to the first team is few and far between. The number of Spanish Internationals or players who ply their trade with the club, keeps dwindling. Fernando Llorente just hit his zenith as a player. He is very close, but still not the finished product. Real Madrid will need to foster and hone his talent, which is a scary thought. Why? Let's take a closer look at the recent youth development at Chamartín.
The cantera philosophy lacks purpose and has lost it's way. The mandate of Santiago Bernabéu, who advocated youth development from the cantera all the way to the first team, is now an illusion. Players such as Casillas, Raul, Guti are now a novelty. I remember the days when Vicente Del Bosque and Rafa Benitez ran the youth squad. Those were the days that cantera players knew they had a chance at playing for the first team. This policy goes further back to the days of the Quinta del Butre, the amount of homegrown players in the first team was as high as 50%, sound familiar?
Real Madrid's youth system still produces plenty of players at the present time, but for other teams in La Liga. Here's a brief list of active players: Filipe Luis (At. Madrid), Luis Garcia (Espanyol), Miguel Torres (Getafe), Negredo (Sevilla), Rivera (Sporting), Mata (Valencia), Dani Parejo (Getafe), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), and Borja Valero (Villarreal), just to name a few. Can you tell me honestly that Borja Valero or Filipe Luis couldn't play at Real Madrid, let alone Mata? I sometimes wonder, is the purpose of the cantera to produce players for neighboring Getafe?
People say that this is the golden generation of Spanish football, Spanish youth development, Spanish coaches, and Spanish football players. A Euro Cup and World Cup is the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, due to Real Madrid's Galactico policy, they have failed to capitalize on any of it. Too focused on branding and stars of the moment, Real Madrid doesn't produce Spanish Internationals, they buy them. (Exhibit A: Sergio Ramos, Exhibit B: Xabi Alonso) Iker Casillas, truly is the "last of the mohicans". His canterano story has gone the way of the dodo.
Sadly, I don't see any change in the current policy on the horizon. What will come of young Sergio Canales? Will his career flourish in the White House? Will he ever reach his potential in the cauldron of Madrid? Will the powers that be loan him out again, to get the proper nuturing and development elsewhere?
Back to Llorente, I doubt that he will be sold prior to the Athletic elections in July 2011, unless a scandalous offer is received for his buyout clause - 36M Euros. This is a huge sum in the current economic climate. I really do not see anyone coming up with the cash in the winter transfer market. Real Madrid normally doesn't like to pay that kind of money, especially for a Spanish International, which is not as "marketable" as foreign stars abroad. The "Casa Blanca" might need to offload Kaka or Benzema to find the money and space for Llorente. Both actions would leave some egg on the White President's face, because they were handpicked as part of the Florentino revolution.
Madrid politics aside, Llorente seems to be a perfect fit for the Premiership style of play. Big imposing, excellent header capability, good with his back to goal, and good with his feet. He could easily fit into Manchester United (especially with Rooney's unhappiness), Chelsea (with an aging frontline) or Tottenham Hotspur. He would be more prolific than Berbatov, Crouch or Anelka, in my opinion. I believe a move to the Premiership would improve his game, invigorate his career, and bring even more versatility to the Spanish National team. Just as Silva has started to reinvent his game, with the change of pace and style in the EPL, Floris could do the same. But Llorente at Real Madrid...I just have no faith that Real Madrid can properly manage Spanish talent at the present time.
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