In a recent report, Defensa Central stated that Real Madrid are in pole position to land Olympique Lyonnais full-back Malo Gusto. It has been revealed that Los Blancos are the favourites to recruit the French talent next year.
Gusto’s Consistent Season In French Football So Far
Gusto is having a decent campaign at the Groupama Stadium after he produced a handful of solid displays on the right side of Lyon’s backline. The 19-year-old has picked up one assist in 14 appearances for the French outfit this season across various competitions.
The promising defender has been a consistent performer down the right flank as he is averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 0.9 clearances, 1.3 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game in Ligue 1. He has even been exceptional when interchanging possession with his teammates, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 85.2% in the French first division (stats via whoscored).
Gusto has enjoyed a good run of form of late but is under contract at Lyon until the end of next season. Hence, Los Blancos have every reason to be optimistic about their chances of landing him next summer.
Is Gusto A Decent Option For Real Madrid Head Coach Carlo Ancelotti?
Gusto is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his team inside his half. He usually clears his lines when the opposition are on the front foot and can create some inviting chances for his teammates from the right flank. Gusto is primarily a right-back but can also operate as a central defender or as a right-sided wide player if his manager tells him to do so.
The young Frenchman can even make some driving runs with the ball going forward. However, he needs to add a few goals to his game this season if he wants to improve as a footballer.
Gusto is good enough to serve as an ideal successor to Dani Carvajal at Real Madrid. He already has what it takes to fight for a regular starting place in Carlo Ancelotti‘s first XI.
Furthermore, Gusto will bring more quality and depth to Los Blancos‘ match-day squad in the long run. Therefore, he will be a decent option for the Madrid giants to pursue this January or at the end of this campaign.
At 19, the future is quite promising for Gusto as long as he continues to improve his all-around game with each year.
