Episode 108 - Real Madrid's Vinicius problem + Rafael Leão is worth the risk

On today's episode, Patrick and Hayden discuss the 3 Spanish football giants. We dive into Atletico Madrid's significant recruitment efforts and potential changes in strategy. For Real Madrid, we examine Vinicius Jr.'s critical season under Xabi Alonso and how their new additions fit into the squad. Additionally, we cover Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona, potential 2nd year issues under Hansi Flick, and why Rafael Leao is worth the risk for the right club. Enjoy! Subscribe to our FREE newsletter: https://www.thetransferflow.com/subscribe Join Variance Betting: https://www.thetransferflow.com/upgrade Follow us on our Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1WTKOt7byrELQcGRSzu1Q X: https://x.com/TheTransferFlow Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetransferflow.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetransferflow/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transferflowpodcast Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:06 - Atletico Madrid's busy summer 01:57 - Outgoings and Incomings 03:23 - Midfield changes 04:33 - A changing style for Atleti? + Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada 06:35 - Splitting up responsibilities 07:58 - Atletico must add shots 09:04 - Less defensive workhorses? 09:51 - Getting a younger squad 10:45 - Personal accountability at Atleti 11:47 - Spreading out their resources vs spending on 1-2 guys 12:38 - Can they retain their defensive stability and improve offensively? 13:10 - Real Madrid and Barcelona aren't sure things next season 14:00 - Real Madrid will be one of the most interesting sides in Europe 14:55 - Can Mbappe and Vini coexist? 16:01 - Change Rodrygo or Vinicius? 16:38 - Jude Bellingham dropping deeper? + Güler and Mastantuono 18:13 - Vinicius must guarantee his long-term future this season 19:07 - Hard to replace Mbappe due to his output 19:51 - Xabi Alonso changing Real Madrid's style 20:57 - Lots of possibilities for this Real Madrid team 21:56 - Making a big sale and going for a number 9? 22:29 - Nicolas Jackson? 23:42 - Carrying all these players might not be feasible 24:16 - Potential other departures? 25:14 - Marcus Rashford to Barcelona + Joan Garcia 26:53 - Barcelona were depleted defensively last season 27:27 - There is a world in which Rashford works at Barcelona 28:03 - Improved defending will be mandatory 28:40 - Rashford holding out for this move worked well 29:41 - Cautious optimism + World Cup squad inclusion? 30:36 - How do you get the most out of Rashford? 32:01 - Rafael Leao is similar to Rashford in this way 32:43 - He does everything you want except defend 33:34 - Somebody will take the risk, right? 34:49 - Balancing issues with a player like Leao 35:43 - Xavi Simons to Chelsea - why not look at Leao? 37:01 - Leao is a ceiling raiser 38:25 - What's enticing to a coach 38:59 - Workable wages? 40:02 - If the price reasonable - do it and figure the rest out later 42:00 - Game breaking players are rare 42:47 - Our EPL Previews are coming soon! + Why you should care 44:11 - The season is approaching FAST