Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti responded to his team’s disappointing opener against Mallorca in LaLiga last weekend, as Fede Valverde and the substitutes orchestrated a three-goal second half to take care of a returning Real Valladolid.
The three points for Real Madrid came after Ancelotti remarked that he had found the solution to the club’s issue after just one match, and the second-half attacking outburst from the Merengues makes it seem like all is indeed well at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But as Real Madrid gear up for tougher matches than Real Valladolid and Mallorca in LaLiga, Madridistas have been wondering about the futures of a few talented young players sitting on the periphery of the squad as backups.
Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is chief among those standouts, as the Ukrainian shot-stopper was a hero for Real Madrid throughout the 2023/24 season, overtaking loan acquisition Kepa Arrizabalaga as the starter in place of injured superstar Thibaut Courtois.
Lunin was just as good as the Belgian keeper, stopping more than 75 percent of the shots he faced in LaLiga. A standout as early as in the 2021/22 season when he started games with LaLiga already won, Lunin had long been rumored as a transfer chip out of a desire to step out from under Courtois’ shadow and get starts elsewhere.
Instead, Lunin remained loyal to Real Madrid, and the two-time Champions League winner was rewarded by playing a key role in the team’s success in the 2023/24 season.
But those transfer rumors returned with a vengeance after Carlo Ancelotti unsurprisingly decided to go back to Courtois in the Champions League Final, proven correct by the Belgian’s latest big-game display in the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Following Real Madrid’s 3-0 triumph over Real Valladolid, Ancelotti addressed the Andriy Lunin transfer rumors with news that may serve as a pleasant surprise to some Madridistas.
Per Ancelotti, Lunin will be staying: “Lunin will stay at Real Madrid. He will not leave the club”.
As usual, it is a succinct, matter-of-fact transfer update from the legendary Italian coach, and it means that Lunin will be indeed back in the fold as Courtois’ backup, which is a very important job.
Perhaps Lunin could benefit from starting regularly elsewhere, but he has already proven his worth. He can win more Champions Leagues at Real Madrid and even replace Courtois in the future, whether that is in the Copa del Rey, due to injury, or years down the road when Tibo’s cycle ends.
