Did Real Madrid get it wrong by failing to sign Leny Yoro this summer?

We are only 11 games into the still young 2024-25 Champions League season and as in the recent past, Real Madrid has been haunted by the injury bug yet again. A number of key players on the team have seen time on the sidelines dealing with a wide variety of injuries, which is the worst-case scenario from the perspective of head coach Carlo Ancelotti and club executive Florentino Perez — seeing the clubs ambitions stifled so early into the campaign. 

David Alaba, who is still rehabbing from an ACL injury suffered last season, sits atop a growing list of injured players that includes Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao, Kylian Mbappe and most recently goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. We are not even two full months into the season. With an already-thin squad in some areas of the pitch, the question arises, did Real Madrid miscalculate their summer transfer strategy? 

In the early parts of the summer transfer window, links between Real Madrid and a move for 18-year-old Lille center-back Leny Yoro were hot as could be. Much to the surprise of Los Blancos, though, Yoro chose to leave Lille in favor of joining Manchester United joining in a deal worth up to €62 million. For a club renowned for its relentless pursuit of talent, this missed opportunity stings. Real Madrid typically has an eagle eye for young stars, securing their signing even with fierce competition from across Europe. Missing out on Yoro was not just an oversight, but a rare misstep from Los Blancos. 

After failing in their pursuit of Yoro, Real Madrid opted not to make anymore defensive signings, which has left them short at center-back, where Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger are the only natural fits on the senior team. This lack of depth could prove to be one of Real Madrid's biggest problems across this long, match-filled season. 

Ancelotti is now faced with the prospect of having to use an improvised defense. He's already had to shift right-back Dani Carvajal into central defense against Stuttgart in their Champions League opener as well as play defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in the backline against Espanyol. Each game feels like a gamble and a real test for the backline.

Missing out on Yoro could very well be the defining moment for Real Madrid's season. As the injury list will no doubt grow as the season goes on the team will have to dig deep, adapt and fight against all odds to defend their La Liga and Champions League titles.