Similar to previous season, Real Madrid is once again having issues with its fitness. A number of the team’s top players have already sustained injuries, and many people think the campaign may already be doomed to disaster. The Los Blancos team was always a little undermanned to begin with, and the growing injury list has only made matters worse.

Just days before the 2023–24 season began, Thibaut Courtois tore his ACL, which was one of the most serious injuries Real Madrid has experienced. The severity of the injury forced the club to alter their summer transfer plans.

Real Madrid previously had Andriy Lunin, but they ultimately decided to take Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan from Chelsea. Since his arrival, the Spaniard has been ranked first between the posts.

Kepa, however, doesn’t appear to have been Real Madrid’s top choice to take Courtois’ place. Instead, it was Yassine Bounou, better known by his stage name Bono.

€21 million player claims he was Real Madrid’s first-choice

As reported by 90min, Bono said on radio station Canal Sur:

“[I was] the first option [for Madrid]. That’s what I understand.

“Afterwards, the board analysed the situation, saw that I could go to the Africa Cup and miss a lot of games in an important month for Real Madrid and it wasn’t possible. In addition, they had other options that could manage at the transfer level that suited them better.

“The African Cup has had a lot of influence on this market, both for me and for Youssef [En-Nesyri].”

The team chose to focus on Kepa after Bono failed to show up and signed the seasoned Chelsea goalie on a season-long loan. Before deciding to transfer to Santiago Bernabeu, the Spaniard was on the verge of joining Bayern Munich.

Since making his Real Madrid debut against Getafe and Celta Vigo, Kepa has adapted admirably, allowing just one goal in two games. He is still in the early stages of his Real Madrid career, so we’ll have to wait and watch how he develops. When his loan period with Chelsea ends, there is a chance that he will be retained permanently if he is able to establish himself.