Real Madrid had another quiet January transfer window, despite the very noisy demands from the local press to make signings. There were no outgoings from the Santiago Bernabeu, but Los Blancos did receive a late bid for one of their fringe players.
Young forward Endrick Felipe has been restricted to morsels of games for the most part this season, his first in Europe after a €40m move from Palmeiras that could rise to €60m including variables. So far this season, Endrick has played just 318 minutes, spread across 21 appearances. Just two of those appearances have been starts too.
Despite that relatively meagre set of opportunities, Endrick still averages a promising goal contribution rate of one every 64 minutes, with 4 goals and an assist to his name so far. The Brazilian most recently contributed a brace against Celta Vigo in extra time in the Copa del Rey, which was crucial to see them through to the quarter-finals against Leganes.
According to Marca, Endrick was also subject of a number of enquiries in the January transfer window. One stood out for their insistence: West Ham United. Julen Lopetegui’s side made a number of calls to both Real Madrid and Endrick’s camp, but both shut the door on a move.
Endrick believes that he will have more opportunities in the second half of the season, and was aware already that this season would be one dedicated to learning and growth, without too much game time – despite his public shows of frustration at times. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has consistently denied any transfer talk surrounding Endrick, in spite of his lack of game time, explaining that his chief concern should be to continue working hard in training. With Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham both ruled out of their Copa del Rey clash against Leganes, the Copa could again be an avenue of opportunity for Endrick on Wednesday night.
