Espanyol star Joselu, late on Thursday, showcased exactly why the powers that be at Real Madrid have identified him as the perfect addition to their attacking ranks.
For those not aware, Joselu’s name has taken its place front and centre in the headlines at the Santiago Bernabeu over the course of the last week.
This comes amid widespread reports that the 33-year-old has been identified as a prime target on the part of Florentino Perez and the brass at La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Los Blancos have been forced to seek out reinforcements up top, after Karim Benzema opted to call time on his legendary stint in Spain’s capital.
With Mariano Diaz too set to depart as a free agent, though, two new faces could be required to sufficiently replenish Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
In step, Joselu…
In fact, some outlets just today went as far as to claim that Joselu’s presentation at the Bernabeu could arrive as early as next week.
🚨🌕| JUST IN: Joselu will be announced at Real Madrid NEXT WEEK. @JorgeCPicon #rmalive
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) June 15, 2023
And, tonight, the former Newcastle United and Stoke City man proved exactly why his one-time club are so keen on a reunion.
This came late in Spain’s crunch Nations League semi-final showdown with Italy.
Introduced off the bench late on, Joselu needed just minutes to prove himself decisive, his knack of being in the right place at the right time coming to the fore once more en route to an 88th-minute winner:
Late goal by Joselu! ⚽🇪🇸
The substitute scores what very well could be the winner for Spain 👏#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/jvpmg57vPy
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) June 15, 2023
This means that the experienced attacker has now found the net three times in three appearances for Spain.
A closer look at its precise statistics, though, highlight even more clearly why his future appears to lie with European football’s most successful club.
Joselu’s first goal for his country came within two minutes of being introduced to the fray, his 2nd within four, and his third within five.
This is exactly the kind of impact that Real will be hopeful of seeing from their backup centre-forward, once a more suitable starting option (Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Victor Osimhen) is secured.
Primer gol de Joselu con España: a los 2 minutos de entrar como suplente.
Segundo gol de Joselu con España: a los 4 minutos de entrar como suplente.
Tercer gol de Joselu con España: a los 5 minutos de entrar como suplente.
— MisterChip (Alexis) (@2010MisterChip) June 15, 2023
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