In many ways it was understandable that Real Madrid decided to move on from Cristiano Ronaldo a couple of years ago, but it does look like they still aren’t sure how to replace him.
There will always be a hangover when you lose one of the best players in the world, but it also meant that Real lost a serious source of goals.
We all know that Ronaldo was their main goal scoring threat and it meant Karim Benzema was overshadowed at times, but the Frenchman was also perfect for that system.
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He’s still been prolific and tends to get double figures for goals each season, but his job was to link with the midfield and put the ball on a plate for Ronaldo, but that hasn’t happened so much this season.
The wider players like Hazard, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr look more like creators rather than ruthless goalscorers, so it can result in a forward line that wants to create without possessing a ruthless streak.
The current system is still crying out for a wide player to get in behind and score goals, so a recent report from Mundo Deportivo suggests they might be looking at changing that.
They suggest that Erling Haaland will be watched by Real Madrid again when the Bundesliga re-starts, as they look at eventually making a move to bring the Norwegian sensation in.
You have to think that he would come in as a straight replacement for Benzema, but he would play a completely different role. Where the Frenchman likes to drop deep, Haaland gets into the box and puts the finishing touch to moves, which is what they need.
It means the goal-scoring threat would come from the number 9 role rather than a wider forward, and it would take advantage of all the creativity that the midfield has to offer.
Benzema was the perfect foil for Ronaldo, but it was always going to be possible to find a replacement for the Portuguese star, so replacing Benzema with an out and out goalscorer makes much more sense.