Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid have strengthened in the transfer market this summer despite the departure of striker Karim Benzema.
The Spanish giants are currently in the USA on their pre-season tour, with new signings Jude Bellingham, Fran Garcia, Arda Guler, and loanee Joselu among the travelling squad.
Despite these additions, Los Blancos were hit hard by the sudden departure of Ballon d'Or holder Benzema, who has moved to Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. They have not yet signed a natural replacement though are monitoring Kylian Mbappe, who is being forced out of PSG this summer.
But in an interview with AS, Ancelotti insisted he is calm about the situation and is pleased with the makeup of his squad.
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"We are very happy. [The players that] have arrived improve the quality of the squad. Fran Garcia improves the left back spot, where we had problems last season. With Joselu, we have more aerial threat, where we also suffered. Guler is very talented. He is very young, and I think the fans will enjoy him," Ancelotti said.
"Bellingham has great qualities with something we don't have in the team: the ability to arrive in the box. The squad has improved. I want to try something new. If it doesn't work out, we have the old system, which gave us so many successes.
"I think the season will go well; we are very confident because the squad has improved, although we have lost a fundamental player like Karim, a club legend."
Last season, Real Madrid finished second in La Liga behind rivals Barcelona while also falling short to Xavi's side in the Spanish Super Cup. They were also unable to retain their Champions League after being knocked out by eventual winners Manchester City. Despite their struggles, they did manage to pick up the Copa del Rey.
When asked what his side's goals are for in the upcoming season, Ancelotti simply said: "Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, the Super Cup. As always, nothing has changed."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Carlo Ancelotti insists Real Madrid have 'improved' despite loss of Karim Benzema.