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Spanish journalist Romain Molina believes that Real Madrid regret signing Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer last summer. After much gossip, the France international arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu following his contract's expiry at Paris Saint-Germain.
While there have been questions over the former Monaco star's performances in the Spanish capital so far, Mbappe has maintained that he is happy. However, Molina discussed the mood around Los Blancos about the signing and told YouTube channel Colinterview (via SPORTbilble):
"I have spoken about it off (the record). It hasn’t been at all what they were expecting. It was a whim of [Florentino] Perez. It was only Perez who wanted him."
"[Perez] has always liked the big players. He also has a filial relationship with him (Mbappe). The club are gutted, firstly with his level (of performances), which is not at all at the expected levels, in the dressing room it isn’t great, that isn’t necessarily Mbappe’s fault though."
Claiming there's been a drop-off in Mbappe's physical attributes, the reporter added:
"I think Real have made a big mistake. He didn’t have a pre-season, he played instantly, unlike (Jude) Bellingham. When you see how (Mbappe) is physically at 25, you can’t explain it to me. The physical drop-off that he has had at 25, I have never seen that."
Mbappe has still managed to register decent numbers in his first matches at Real Madrid. From 11 appearances across competitions under Carlo Ancelotti, the 25-year-old has scored seven goals and bagged an assist.
Kylian Mbappe to continue down the middle for Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti confirms
At the time of Kylian Mbappe's move to Real Madrid, many believed that the Frenchman would be leading the line for his new team. That's precisely what has happened, with Vincius Junior operating on the left.
After the completion of the international break, club manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Mbappe will continue to play a similar role. Speaking about this, he said (via GOAL):
"On a tactical level, his position does not change from how he has played in recent games. He can vary his position on the left wing with Vinicius, but we have been focused on physical work."
Real Madrid travel to Celta Vigo for their next La Liga fixture, set to take place on Saturday (October 19). Currently, they are sitting second in the league standings, three points short of arch-rivals and leaders Barcelona.
