Real Madrid has had a short preparation for the 2025-26 season because of their exploits at the club World Cup earlier this summer, but that has not prevented Arda Guler from coming in a pristine form for what is expected to be a very large campaign for the young midfielder.
Since he arrived from Fenerbahce in 2023, Guler has trouble having a lot of fame at Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti often overlooked him, where Rodrygo goes and Brahim Diaz is preferred above him. However, the arrival of Xabi Alonso is expected to change things for the Türkiye International.
Alonso is a big fan of Guler and his fan has to give him a prominent role for the coming season. And in preparation for this, the player himself came into the best possible form.
According to Diario, Guler has taken a number of steps to get into the best condition he can for the coming season. He lived with a physical trainer, a physio and a cook, and this process saw him get 8 kg of muscles when he first arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu two years ago.
Now that Jude Bellingham has become out of operation until October, Guler will have opportunities to be a regular starter for Real Madrid during the first few months of the 2025-26 season. And as said, Alonso counts a lot on him, with the former head coach of Bayer Leverkusen recently labeled a “special player”.
“He has many qualities, he is a special player. He has a very broad repertoire with fitting, we play better with him, but he has to learn, develop his game better. It is time to invest so that there is progress for Arda.”
It is still to look at how Guler will get along in the coming months, but he has his best chance of having a meaningful impact at Real Madrid.