Tottenham Hotspur may have the opportunity to revive their reported interest in Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler after a tough start to the new season.
The Turkish prodigy, 19, has been tipped to achieve big things at Real Madrid. Signed from Fenerbahce last year, injuries forced Guler to wait until January for his debut, but he ended his debut season with a flourish, scoring six goals in 10 league games despite playing just 373 minutes in total. The teenager’s scoring streak continued at Euro 2024 with a stunning strike against Georgia during Turkey’s route to the quarter-finals.
Spurs were briefly linked with the Real Madrid midfielder earlier this year before the suggestion of Guler moving on was shut down. However, the door could have been reopened for Spurs following claims from a Turkish pundit that Guler is unhappy with his lack of minutes at Madrid after struggling during the latest international break.
“Arda has shown rustiness in his performance. That's natural,” iconic Turkish coach Mustafa Denzil told HT Spor following the country’s draw with Wales on Saturday. “Arda no longer comes back from Real Madrid with high morale as he used to. He is not experiencing psychological happiness there. We know that he has had few minutes and few opportunities, but his rivals in the dressing room have increased their performances.”
Guler has been limited to three starts in 12 appearances this season for Madrid, who are six points behind league leaders Barcelona. Denzil believes that manager Carlo Ancelotti was more willing to play Guler last season when the club was in line to win a La Liga and Champions League double.
"It doesn't matter. In terms of score and results, it's worse. The team's performance has dropped,” Denzil added. “When the team's performance was higher, he played more; when the team is doing worse, he gets less playing time, and that has a significant negative impact."
Guler has been substituted in four of Tukey’s five Nations League games this season, including in the final minutes of their stalemate with Wales. Manager Vincenzo Montella was asked about his decision to take off the Real Madrid star, who could help Turkey top their group with a positive result against Montenegro on Tuesday.
"Getting Arda Güler off the pitch is a really difficult task because you would never want to take him off,” Montella admitted. “He is a talented player and a fast player, but he has not played continuously for a long time. I was convinced that he would not be able to continue due to physical problems."
Meanwhile, it appears Ancelotti would have no interest in entertaining any offers for Guler. "Arda is going to be a very important player for us in the future, and there is no doubt that he will stay here next year,” the Real Madrid boss said in April.