Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , La Liga centurion and Spain midfielder Gaizka Mendieta has praised Bellingham's performances in Spain, claims a Premier League return someday is inevitable and backs Bellingham to be named in the World Cup admitting his omission would be a "mistake".
Mendieta has spoken candidly about Real Madrid's struggles in replacing club icon Toni Kroos and claims signing a Premier League duo could be the perfect solution, assesses Trent's performances at the club and back Vinicius Junior to stay at the club.
Elsewhere, he offers his perspective on whether fellow Spaniard Xabi Alonso can be a success at Real Madrid or if he should've made the move to manage Liverpool at Anfield instead.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham In Spain
Jude Bellingham has been good, but he set the standards pretty high in the first season when Real Madrid won the league. You have to analyse how he was playing that season. He had total freedom in terms of movement, which is what he likes. He likes to be everywhere, be part of the build-up, be part of the finishing.
I think we saw the results of that, especially in goal-scoring numbers. That's what he's been lacking a little bit now, because he plays when there's no goalscorer playing, he's a bit more of the creator, which he can do. But of course, he's not someone who would score a lot of goals. When he played higher up, he scored more goals, which is normal.
The question is, who does Xabi Alonso play alongside him? The coach is trying to get the best out of his team, and not just Bellingham; it’s difficult because they don’t have a player like Toni Kroos to rely on, who could get the best out of him.
It’s odd to still talk about Kroos, but they haven’t found a similar type of player to replace him with. It’s hard for the manager, But certainly, Bellingham is rated highly in Spain, in Madrid. It's just that Madrid are not finding that balance that is required for them to function as they did previously.”
Premier League Move “Inevitable”
It’s inevitable that Jude Bellingham will end up in the Premier League eventually. Like any player from any country going abroad, at some point in your career, you would like to go back and play there.
We will see Bellingham there at some point, but not anytime soon. I think he loves being in Madrid. He wants to be there for what it means in his career, for himself.
So, no time soon, but at some point, I'm sure that we will see him there.
Will Bellingham Play In The Premier League Someday?
Bellingham World Cup Dilemma
It would be a mistake for England to leave him out because Jude Bellingham makes any team stronger. Having said that, managers have to see things differently from football fans, which is not like PlayStation, where all the big names play together.
Tuchel didn't really see that sort of triangle working, and it seems like he was trying to balance the players and keep an eye on the defensive side. I think he was also resting players and managing minutes, considering the World Cup is this summer. So I think it's a combination of those factors. It's easier for us to analyse outside with all the data.
But as a player, of course, you want to play all the time; you still want to play every single game. That's not possible. But it's about understanding that sometimes not playing might be a good thing. I'm sure Tuchel spoke to him, and they had a conversation explaining why and the reasons. It's tough to take it, but perfectly understandable.
Real Madrid
Adam Wharton To Real Madrid?
It's a very important role, and effectively, they haven't found a player that fits. They thought it would be Arda Guler, but things haven’t worked out lately.
They're looking at those characteristics that Adam Wharton has, but I don’t think they will go for a young player in that position. In the past, they've all been experienced players like Fernando Redondo. I would be surprised, to be honest, if they go for Wharton or someone of that age, especially in the January window.
Guehi To Real Madrid?
I can really see Marc Guehi being at Real Madrid next season. In his position and in his role, he would bring a lot to the team, and they have had difficulties in that position. He has the experience now to bring to Real Madrid, and I think if they are to make him an offer, it would be really difficult to turn down.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
On Trent Alexander-Arnold, the feeling in Spain, in Madrid, is that obviously they like him because when he's played, he's played well, especially those fantastic deliveries that he's able to pass, those measured passes.
So I think people are fond of him and understand what they have seen. But also, the feeling is that they haven't really seen fully what Trent is about.
They are expecting to see that kind of player he was at Liverpool, doing the things he was doing there at some point. He has not played regularly enough to show his full potential, but things are very positive.
Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior can stay as long as he wants, or can. Obviously, he will have offers. Recently, we’ve seen him be unhappy when he’s benched, which was obviously all over the media.
But a few games later, we saw him in the changing room, giving someone a hug to make peace, even though he probably still wasn’t happy. It’s a difficult situation for a player like him not to play, really. At some point, he will leave Madrid, yes, for sure. I don't think it will be anytime soon. That kind of player wants to be at Real Madrid because they know this is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I know players who have been there, and everyone's said the same.
Whenever they leave, you leave because you have to leave for the sake of your career, but you don't want to leave. They want to stay there as long as possible because of what it means to them, representing that club.
Should Vinicius Junior Leave Real Madrid?
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso was under a lot of pressure before Christmas. He is trying to bring his style from Bayer Leverkusen with the high pressure, but you need all 10 players to buy into it. It's difficult with Real Madrid when you have so many big names like Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham; if two players aren’t pressing, it doesn’t work.
We have seen Alonso screaming for his team to press, and the former coaches have had a lot to say about it. It's difficult to get enough players to make them press. So it's tough for Xabi Alonso to get that across, especially when they've beaten a team 5-0 or 5-1, they will ask why they need to press. It's a tough job for Alonso to repeat what he did with Leverkusen. I’m sure there are a lot of conversations about his style of play behind closed doors.
It’s always going to be hard at Real Madrid to change the way certain players play. He is under pressure, and he will be under pressure as long as he is at the club because you have to win everything. The job comes with that.
Should Alonso Have Chosen Liverpool?
Would Xabi Alonso have faced the same issues at Liverpool? I think it is different with the history that they have, not only the history of the past and the trophies, but also the history with managers where they've been ruthless even with coaches that have won the league and the Champions League.
Liverpool are another big club that wants to win trophies every season. We have seen what happened when Mohamed Salah was benched, but if Liverpool are winning, the noise is silent.
Real Madrid is different from all other clubs; at other clubs, winning can stop all the noise, but it’s not always the case.
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