Los Blancos may have spent big on the Bournemouth centre-back but he already looks like a bargain buy for Xabi Alonso
Jude Bellingham calls him 'Spaghetti'. It is, admittedly, not the best or most fearsome nickname. Centre-backs should probably sound cooler, or, at least a little more intimidating. Pasta is, objectively, not the kind of thing that rattles the best strikers in Europe.
But look at Dean Huijsen, and it's oddly perfect. The guy is wiry thin. He does not look like a professional athlete. Everything about him – awkward stance, spindly legs, dorky demeanour – suggests that he should be doing pretty much anything else with his life. Yet Huijsen is a truly excellent centre-back, and at a time when Real Madrid really need one.
Most of the talk for Los Blancos over the last 18 months has been about the right-back they eventually signed, and how they would configure the attack. It didn't really occur to anyone – for some reason – that central defence might have been a far more pressing issue. Indeed, the centre-back pool appears frightfully thin. Antonio Rudiger is world class, but spent a lot of last season struggling with knocks. Raul Asencio isn't quite at the level required. Meanwhile, both David Alaba and Eder Militao are unable to stay fit.
Huijsen's signing, at the time, raised a few eyebrows. It seemed, in abstract, a Galactico purchase, a classic Madrid 'because we can' pinching of a top Spanish player. Yet a few weeks into the season, and he looks like not only Madrid's most important signing of the summer, but also the best. There is a long way to go – and others may yet improve. But for now, Huijsen's purchase looks something of a masterstroke from the Madrid hierarchy.
GettyA strange summer of business
It was a weird few months of transfers for Madrid. They were always going to go big around the Club World Cup. A trophyless season, the departure of a great manager, and an ageing squad meant that new faces had to be added. The Trent Alexander-Arnold saga inevitably dominated headlines. But Huijsen was always there, too, chugging along in the background.
His saga – such as it was – was a very modern thing. There is a trend these days of certain social media influencers turned journalists consistently piping out non-updates about players supposedly on the market. A new nothing Tweet about Huijsen popped up every day. One journalist, who seemed particularly in favor with the Spaniard, might have posted on X every time Huijsen went to the bathroom. He was simply everywhere, not really doing anything except maybe leaving Bournemouth at some point.
Madrid started to crop up more and more in transfer talk, though. And then, the pieces fell into place comfortably. It made too much sense, in the end. Madrid needed a left-footed centre-back. They likely wanted someone young. They also wanted a pretty-much sure thing to lead a refreshed squad. Throw in the fact that Huijsen plays for the Spanish national team, and it was a no brainer. €60 million (£50m/$68m) seemed a lot, but this is Madrid and they can afford these things. Huijsen arrived before the Club World Cup – a statement of intent to ensure that Los Blancos would compete in the United States (an attempt that admittedly aged poorly).
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWhy they signed him
Huijsen was an excellent bargain bin find for the Cherries. An outlay of £13m ($18m) wasn't exactly cheap for the club from the south coast. It's hard to find diamonds in the rough at Juventus, too.
However, Huijsen was far more effective than even the hipsters might have thought. He started his Bournemouth career by winning nine aerial duels in his debut, and never really looked back from there.
But it wasn't just his ability in the air that stood out. Sure, Huijsen was effective defensively – and that was more important than anything else. But it became clear rather quickly that he was also immensely refined.
Young ball-playing centre-backs are sometimes overvalued – such is their scarcity. But Huijsen established himself as an immensely cool presence. In other words, this wasn't just a tall guy who could pass a bit.
Huijsen had all of the traits of an elite centre-back at a remarkably young age. He was never going to be long for Bournemouth – something even he would later admit.
Getty Images SportOther competitiors
Huijsen also had plenty of suitors. Any centre-back of his calibre under 25 tends to be the envy of Europe. A Premier League switch might have made the most sense. After all, Huijsen had just played an excellent nine months of football in the league.
Liverpool were interested, presumably viewing Huijsen as a long-term replacement for Virgil Van Dijk – and potentially one of the best central defenders in the league for years to come.
Arsenal, too, were reportedly in the running. This is mostly because Mikel Arteta cannot resist young ball playing defenders of any ilk (they compromised on Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie shortly before deadline day).
Once Madrid were involved, though, things started to feel inevitable. There's something ominous about Madrid in the transfer market. Once they show an interest, they always seem to tie things up quickly.
Throw in the fact that everyone else had more immediate priorities – or pressing targets – and Los Blancos wrapped it all up within the first week of the transfer window opening.
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Getty Images SportPerformances so far
And so far it has looked like excellent business. Xabi Alonso has heavily rotated Madrid in his early days as manager. But Huijsen's presence has been non-negotiable from the first Club World Cup fixture.
Some of that, of course, is brought about by necessity. Madrid are still short of depth, and will certainly rely on not-a-centre-back Aurelien Tchouameni to play centre-back at some point, given Alaba and Militao's injury issues and the fact that Rudiger is showing increasing signs of wear and tear.
Huijsen, then, was effectively the only fit option to run out there. The eye test is impressive. A couple of sloppy moments aside, he has been the epitome of class at the back, solid defensively and calm on the ball.
The numbers mostly back that up, too. Huijsen is in the 91st percentile among all centre-backs in progressive passes, the 96th in interceptions and 94th in clearances, according to .
Basically, while Madrid are still a bit imbalanced and leaky at the back, Huijsen is offering some steadiness and solidity.