After the signing, Real Madrid hosted a dinner at the stadium restaurant. Besides the senior officials from both sides who had attended the signing ceremony, Head Coach Ancelotti, Zidane, and others had also been invited. Valdano from the technical department, José Sánchez from the commercial department, and Butragueño from public relations were also in attendance.
The lunch lasted a full two or three hours. Only afterward did Real Madrid send the people from Emirates Airline back to their hotel.
Yang Yang, Casillas, and Ramos, however, were kept at Bernabéu. Ancelotti, Zidane, and several other core club executives also stayed behind to hold a meeting at Bernabéu Stadium. The topic was the matter the outside world cared about most: Real Madrid's summer signings.
Everyone knew that Real Madrid had lost to Bayern Munich because of two problems. The first was defense.
After Pepe was injured in December, Varane quickly rose to prominence, while Javi Martínez also performed well. Along with Ramos and Vermaelen, Real Madrid could be said to have no problems at all at center-back.
So when Pepe returned from injury and failed to perform particularly well, many people felt that Real Madrid might sell him.
The defensive problems lay on both flanks. The issue on the right was something everyone had anticipated. After Maicon's departure, everyone had guessed that the right flank would be a problem. What they had not expected was that the left flank would also have serious issues.
Azpilicueta had been another major discovery this season. After a full season of performances, the player had seen his market value soar two or three times over, which showed how much his performances had been recognized by the outside world. But his attacking ability was indeed insufficient.
Marcelo had been out for more than three months with a