ANDThis is the big question that many Real Madrid fans ask themselves. Marco Asensio and Real Madrid are negotiating the extension of the Mallorcan player’s contract. Marco wants to continue, but charging more. The club wants him to continue, but with a slight drop in salary. Who is right in this matter?
It’s hard to gauge this because so many factors come into play.. The age It is one. Marco is in a ideal age to face a renewal. At 27 years old, he is in the peak age range of a footballer. Besides, He has seven years of experience in Madridsomething to value considering that several of the veterans (by age and by years in the club) will not be in a short period, being able to take the role of one of the leaders of the dressing room in a short period of time..
Another aspect, possibly the most important, is the sports performance. And we wonder if, in this sense, the player has earned that raise or, on the contrary, is the club’s position the most correct.
It is often thought that these types of decisions are usually decided by the most current performance, although the trajectory of the last few years may also play a role. In the case of Asensio, His weight in the team is not that of a top starter, which is a disadvantage for your claims. This campaign has played 33% of the minutes. It cannot be said that it is an ideal amount for a weight player.
But what is undeniable is that its performance is being remarkable for what is involved according to what is extracted from their data from this course in the two main competitions (League and Champions League). Then there is the feeling that he leaves in the matches. There are things that the data does not reach and one of them is this, as well as the character. And in the case of Asensio, it sure has a lot of weight.
But what we can assess is through the numbers and there, he has reasons to, at least, earn the right to ask for a raise. Compared to 235 players playing wingers like him in the big five leaguesthe Mallorcan stands out in many facets.
Seeing this, it would be logical to renew it upwards even if it was only a pinch. But of course, not all those extremes with which he is compared play in clubs like Real Madridwhere the pressure is enormous. And where it has tough competitors in players like Rodrygo, Vinicius, Valverde and even Benzema.
In the following graph we see where Asensio stands with respect to wingers and forwards in the big five leagues this season and where his four teammates are in metrics of all kinds (offensive, defensive or association). and in many of them is among the most prominent. The problem is that He usually has his teammates ahead of him, especially Rodrygothe most direct of its competitors for the position.
In the direct comparison with Rodrygo we can see that, basically, they are different players so everything will always depend on what the coach wants or needs at all times.
Seen like this and also counting on the possibility that the club incorporates a new signing for the next season, Marco finds this upward renewal difficult.
Impact on the team
To know more specifically its importance at Real Madrid, it would be necessary to assess its impact on the team. That is to say, how much the white team improves or worsens when Asensio is there or not. And if we use a large sample from the last two seasons in all competitions, the results support the request for the white 11.
On an offensive level, Asensio directly affects in the team. Without him on the green, Madrid accumulates for 90 minutes less xGgoals without penalties, threat level and shots on goal.
The thing is not there. At the associative level, Asensio is also important. Curiously, they only improve without him in verticality, but they get worse in everything related to passes and possession.
Even defensivelysomething for which Asensio stands out is not associated, his absence has harmed the teamaccumulating more expected goals againstshots and goals.
It is difficult to discern if Asensio really deserves to renew upwards or downwards, even focusing only on sports performance. The data supports you in many ways, but it depends on the approach. That is something that Madrid should assess, among other things. What cannot be denied to the player is that he has the right to request it.
