After a trophy-less season, there promises to be a lot of changes at Real Madrid this summer.
A seven-year stint for manager Carlo Ancelotti will come to an end, as the Italian is set to depart the club at the conclusion of the campaign and get straight to managing Brazil. He will be replaced by Xabi Alonso who has already confirmed his departure from Bayer Leverkusen.
Real Madrid are in the market for a new centre-back, and it appears Los Blancos have identified their next target, with multiple reports claiming a deal for young Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen is nearing completion.
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A huge club like Real Madrid making such a financial commitment for a young player at a mid-table club is surprising, especially one who hasn’t gained the mainstream popularity via international football.
The Sporting News breaks down all you need to know about the young defender and why Real Madrid have identified him as their first major summer signing.
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Who is Dean Huijsen?
20-year-old Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen (pronounced “House-en”) is very likely to join Real Madrid in the coming weeks.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the €60 million (£50m / $66.3m) deal has reached the stage where Huijsen will have a medical soon before signing a five-year contract that runs through 2030, a report backed up by David Ornstein of The Athletic. Romano states that incoming coach Xabi Alonso was instrumental to completing the move before other Premier League clubs went for it.
Born in Amsterdam, Huijsen has been all over Europe in his young career. He first came through the youth system at Spanish club Malaga, where he spent six years before moving to Juventus where he made his professional debut in 2023. After spending a year on loan at Roma, he was signed by Bournemouth for €18 million (£15.1m / $20.1m) in the summer of 2024.
He spent most of his youth international career playing for the Netherlands, but after earning his Spanish citizenship while at Malaga, he switched to represent Spain, making his debut for the senior side earlier this year.
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Is Dean Huijsen good? Why Real Madrid want Bournemouth defender
A £50 million move by a European giant for a Bournemouth defender who has yet to gain household notoriety is quite the surprise, so what’s behind the switch?
Dean Huijsen pops from just about every standpoint a scout will want to break down a central defender. Not only does he look composed both on and off the ball, but he statistically jumps off the page as well in all phases of the game.
According to FBRef, Huijsen is an elite defender who is also good on the ball and can crop up in the attacking third as well, usually on set pieces.
He ranks in the 96th percentile amongst European central defenders over the last year in both interceptions and clearances, meaning he is an elite defender from a positional sense, disrupting opposition movement at a very high level.
He is also strong in the air, winning aerial challenges around 60 percent of the time at a high volume, partially thanks to his imposing 6-foot-5 inch frame. While his tackling success rate needs some work, it’s certainly not a problem and can develop further as he progresses.
In possession, Huijsen is a high-risk, high-reward passer which fits the Real Madrid system well, especially with Xabi Alonso coming on board. His pass completion rate of 83.5% puts him in just the 21st percentile amongst his position, with most problems coming in the short and mid ranges, but his long-range home run passing is exceptional, with high success rates for deep deliveries.
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Much of this has to do with Bournemouth’s very direct style of play, but his abilities have paid off in a big way in that regard, as Huijsen is able to rank in the top 15 percentile of centre-backs in categories such as progressive passes, shot creating actions, key passes, and passes into the final third. This would fit well at Real Madrid, where the midfield struggles from a passing and progression standpoint and often they play long looking to get Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. running at defenders with pace.
Finally, he’s good at taking space and moving the ball forward as well. While he’s not a dribbler, he ranks in the top 11 percent for progressive carries, carries into the final third, and progressive carrying distance. His place in the 63rd percentile for total carries and 92nd percentile for progressive carrying distance shows that he’s not just making pointless runs on the ball, his advances forward are almost always meaningful and impactful.
Still just 20 years old, Huijsen can still make improvements in a few areas. He’s not the quickest player, but often finds himself in places where it appears he thinks he is. His tackling needs work and he picks up fouls and cards at a high rate. These things are teachable, however, much more so than the things he is strong at.
Real Madrid have big need at centre-back
Huijsen is a great fit at Real Madrid, not just for the stylistic reasons mentioned above, but also from a positional sense.
Real Madrid suffered under a significant injury crisis this past season, with most of the biggest issues coming at the back.
With Eder Militao not back for some time thanks to his second ACL tear in quick succession, and David Alaba not looking himself after recovering from an ACL tear of his own, the position has been under significant strain.
Thus, when Antonio Rudiger went down himself after being heavily leaned on, there were major problems. The emergence of young Raul Asencio has been a bonus, but he remains somewhat mistake prone on and off the ball.
Real Madrid have a number of other holes to fill, but Huijsen’s arrival makes plenty of sense for the Spanish giants.
