Alvaro Arbeloa is making an obvious Aurelien Tchouameni decision

Real Madrid defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is one of the most important players on the team, because he is the only true No. 6 and anchoring player in a midfield that has been lacking control since Toni Kroos left – and was hurt even more by Luka Modric’s departure to AC Milan.

Tchouameni is, at times, world class, but Madridistas have been frustrated by the Frenchman’s lack of consistency and feel that the former Monaco man has yet to truly live up to his price tag and step into the role as the heir to Casemiro.

He has not been helped by splitting time at center back under Carlo Ancelotti in the past, sacrificed from his best position due to injuries in the name of shoring up the squad.

According to a new report from MARCA’s Jose Felix Diaz, new Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa is done with all that. He has a new policy of only wanting to play players in the positions they were signed to play at Madrid.

Therefore, Arbeloa no longer wants Tchouameni to be a center back. His goal is to have the defensive midfielder only playing his role in the midfield in 2026 and going forward, moving him away from center back.

It is an obvious decision to make. Tchouameni has the potential to be one of the best 6’s in the world, but he is a terrible center back who cannot play the position off the ball and makes crucial errors in the position, just as he did last season, especially against Raphinha and Barcelona.