With the German champions unwilling to match his wage demands, it was inevitable that Toni Kroos’ time at the club would come to an end sooner or later. Man United had been chasing the playmaker for a while, but with the Red Devils unable to secure qualification to the Champions League, sealing a move to Old Trafford was out of the question for a player as big as Toni Kroos.
Real Madrid came calling ultimately and despite paying close to €30 million for the German international’s services, Los Blancos might have hit the jackpot.
Bayern’s loss is Real Madrid’s gain
In Toni Kroos Real Madrid have signed a midfield dictator who at 24, has his best years ahead of him. His performances in the last two years have shown just how good a player he is. Real Madrid’s new signing played a vital role during Germany’s world cup winning campaign and was one of the stand out players of the tournament.
Kroos is a welcome addition at Real Madrid.jpg?q=75&w=634)
Prior to the final against Argentina Kroos had completed 83 passes per game, only three players averaged better than him in this regard. The talented playmaker was able to successfully complete 91.2 percent of his attempts, more impressively this also included nine long balls per game. His set piece delivery was top notch and caused a lot of trouble for the opposition especially in the match against France when his pinpoint free kick set up Mats Hummels for the winner.
In addition to this the world cup winner wrapped up an extraordinary campaign with three assists and two goals, but goal scoring is hardly his biggest strength. Kroos’ biggest ability is to dictate play, he rarely displaces possession and astutely pulls the strings from the middle of the park.
His versatility allows him to play in a number 10 role behind the striker or in a deeper central midfield role. His flexibility will further aid Madrid who can choose to play the combination of Kroos and Modric in the middle of the park when facing weaker oppositions. Whereas Kroos is equally efficient when playing higher up the field and will make it easier for Carlo Ancelotti to tweak his tactics.
His excellent passing skills combined with his ability to play accurate through balls will greatly compliment the pace and agility offered by Madrid’s mercurial wingers Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. It is safe to say that in Toni Kroos Real Madrid have won a bonanza and the club will greatly benefit from his services in the years to come.
Toni Kroos is not irreplaceable
It might be safe to say that Bayern would be better off keeping Kroos rather than selling him, that said the German international is not irreplaceable. The 24 year old was never Pep Guardiola’s first choice to start in the midfield especially after Philipp Lahm made the central midfield role his own. Kroos was demoted to the bench for a large part of the season until injuries to the likes of Thiago and Bastian Schweinsteiger allowed him to feature more often.
Kroos can be replaced at Bayern
For a player of his quality, Toni Kroos’ last season at the club was rather mediocre. In 29 appearances in the Bundesliga last season Kroos managed just four assists while registering only two goals. With the passage of time it had become crystal clear that Toni Kroos was not the type of player Pep Guardiola wanted in his squad, a notion which became stronger after it was reported that the Bavarians never even considered meeting the 24 year olds wage demands.
Guardiola has instead restored his fate in his captain Philipp Lahm who has been entrusted with the important central midfield position, a role he has carried out with aplomb. Pep Guardiola's protégé, Thiago is expected to feature more often once he fully recovers from his injury and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to fill the void left by Kroos. But one thing is clear, Guardiola definitely trusts the former Barcelona man more than the German international.
At €30 million Kroos is definitely a bargain for Madrid, but from Bayern’s perspective they have managed to receive a fairly significant sum for a player who was in the last year of his contract. Their financial status is quite stable and with their reputation, Bayern can sign almost any player in the world but a replacement for Kroos might very well come from within the squad.
