The Sergio Ramos saga has clouded Real Madrid's summer, creating chaos for a team that already has plenty of it.

However, there are rumors that the team may already be coming to terms with losing its star defender and may even have a backup plan. His name? Nicolas Otamendi.

The Argentine defender was a stalwart for Valencia in 2014-15 and there are some reasons to believe that ditching Ramos and bringing in Otamendi might be in Madrid's reasons. Here are a few reasons why Otamendi could prove better than Ramos.

Defensive Responsibility

From a defensive perspective, Otamendi was actually better in many respects than Ramos. He averaged more tackles per game (2.7-2.1) in all competitions while committing fewer fouls in the process (one per game vs. 1.4 per game). He also had far more clearances per game (7.3 in Spain per game to Ramos' 3.9) and had the same number of blocks.

Throw in the fact that Valencia actually saw fewer shots per game than Madrid and you have a defender that was doing more with less.

On Madrid, Otamendi would actually lead the team in all the aforementioned statistically categories.

Offense

Many people value Sergio Ramos' offense and ability to score big goals from aerial positions. Otamendi just as good as Ramos at creating offense and is also a huge asset in the air. Both players are listed as being 183cm in height.

In fact, Otamendi had more goals than Ramos in Spain this year with six to the Real Madrid defender's four.

He may not be as influential a passer, but he makes up for it in other departments, including goalscoring.

The fear is that this goal-scoring spike was a flash in the pan as Otamendi does not have a history of scoring in his career.

However, that may be a result of the next factor...

Age

Ramos is 29 and is likely as good as he is going to get. The wear-and-tear on defenders is huge and it is unrealistic to expect Ramos to suddenly turn into a better defender than he already is. His decision making could certainly improve, but his athleticism, if anything, will slowly degrade.

Otamendi is just 27 years old and is just entering his prime years. He could improve, especially under the guidance of a defensive-minded coach like Rafa Benitez.