Real Madrid and German club Hoffenheim have agreed to terms for the transfer of striker Joselu, the young starting forward for Real Madrid Castilla. The Germans will pay €6 million for the rights to the Spaniard, who has signed a contract for four years. As in the case of Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid Castilla’s right back (another player widely viewed as a future Real Madrid starter), los blancos have retained a buyback clause, set at €8 million.
Joselu moves to GermanyAs in the case of Carvajal, this will provide a fantastic opportunity for Joselu to move to Germany and improve his game and test himself at the highest level of competition. He’s a strong center forward, with a fantastic goal scoring record for Castilla–but he is not yet ready to play for the first team. A stint in the Bundesliga, long known for physical players who are strong in the air, could drastically improve Joselu’s game, if Madrid ever decide to buy back his rights.
At the same time, various commenters–including me–have expressed doubts about whether he profiles as a Madrid-calibre forward. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but he hasn’t shown quite enough to merit a call-up to the first squad: there’s a reason that his colleague, Alvaro Morata, has always been the more sought-after commodity.
Perhaps a stint in the physical Bundesliga will do wonders for the youngster. And if he never ends up making it back to his hometown team, well, it’s always nice to see canteranos in other parts of the world. We wish him the best as he continues to improve his game