Arda Guler, Real Madrid and their plans for the Turkish wonderkid next season

Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler was again a disgruntled spectator on Saturday evening as his side took another step closer to the Liga title with a 1-0 win over Real Mallorca. It was a positive result, yet with Carlo Ancelotti heavily rotating his side ahead the return leg in the Champions League against Manchester City, many were left wondering again why Guler wasn’t called upon.

As has been reported previously, there is no consensus at Real Madrid on how Guler should be handled next season, with his current lack of game time surely detrimental to his development. Carlo Ancelotti and his coaching staff appear to believe that he would be better served by a loan move, while there are those within the Real Madrid hierarchy that feel he would be better served remaining at the Santiago Bernabeu where they can keep a closer eye on his progress.

Matteo Moretto has told Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing that another snub against Mallorca did not impact Guler’s future in any sense, but that the decision on how to go about his future would settled at the end of the season by a discussion between Real Madrid and Guler’s representatives. There is an awareness that the current situation is unsustainable though, and Real Madrid want him to be playing more regularly next year, something a loan could offer them.

While plenty has been made out of Ancelotti’s decision not to use Guler against Mallorca, it no doubt became more of a talking point due to the relative lack of drama in the rest of the game. It seems clear that Ancelotti does not yet trust Guler in tight games, and Mallorca were a single attack from securing a point and potentially making the title run-in much more uncomfortable than it needs to be.