Real Madrid’s Mourinho ‘happy’ with transfers despite Rodri miss

Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho expressed satisfaction with his current squad on Tuesday, despite the club's failure to sign midfielder Rodri, who has since joined Barcelona. The Spanish giants made significant changes to their lineup during the summer transfer window, acquiring six new players, including record signing Yan Diomande, as well as Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella.

However, despite their pursuit of Rodri, Mourinho confirmed that Barcelona's acquisition was the sole significant reinforcement in midfield. Mourinho stated, "For me the squad is closed, but the market is still open — you never know if a player will come and say 'I've been benched twice and I want to leave.'" While he acknowledged that no further deals were planned, Mourinho maintained an openness to potential surprises.

The coach emphasized that he had not requested any additional signings, stating, "I am very happy with the players I have." With key midfield talents Luka Modric and Toni Kroos set to depart in 2024 and 2025, Real Madrid has faced challenges in maintaining control during matches. In their La Liga opener against Espanyol, Mourinho's team secured a 2-1 victory, with Silva and Federico Valverde playing together in midfield.

Coach Mourinho noted that Aurelien Tchouameni, the French defensive midfielder, was not yet fit to commence the season, citing holiday time as the reason for his delayed recovery. Mourinho emphasized that the player needed to be at 100% to start the campaign, explaining, "You can finish a season suffering, the last couple of months, but you can't start in August not at 100 percent."

The coach also expressed confidence in Valverde's abilities, despite his coach's previous use of him in various roles. Mourinho stated, "For me he is a player for the centre of the pitch, depending on the opponent and our objectives, he might be more set in his position or more mobile." Mourinho concluded by asserting that modern football positions have become less rigid, stating, "I don't want to identify Tchouameni as the No. 6, Camavinga No. 6, Fede No. 8, Bernardo No. 10... things dilute during games."