{
  "id": 3243976,
  "title": "Real Madrid's Mourinho happy with squad despite losing out on Rodri",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/real-madrids-mourinho-happy-with-squad-despite-losing-out-on-rodri",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T10:52:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/real-madrids-mourinho-happy-squad-105251902.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid's coach, expressed satisfaction with his current squad, stating that he considers it complete despite not acquiring midfielder Rodri. The team has made six signings this summer, including record signing Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella. However, Mourinho acknowledged that beyond Silva, no other significant improvements have been made in midfield. Despite the potential for new players to join, Mourinho deemed his squad closed and refused to entertain further transfer offers. The team suffered a late 2-1 defeat to Espanyol in their La Liga opener, with Silva and Federico Valverde starting in midfield. Mourinho highlighted that their midfield struggles have been exacerbated by the departures of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in 2024 and 2025. The coach also revealed that Aurelien Tchouameni, their defensive midfielder, was not fit enough to play against Real Sociedad, and they had decided to wait for his full recovery. Mourinho expressed confidence in Valverde, emphasizing that the player can adapt to various roles on the field. Mourinho concluded by asserting that modern football positions are less rigid, and a player's role can change depending on the opponent and the team's objectives.",
  "summary": "Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said Tuesday he is \"very happy\" with his squad, which he considers complete despite missing out on midfielder Rodri, later signed by rivals Barcelona.Mourinho said French defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was not ready to play against Real Sociedad on Wednesday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Real Madrid’s new signing leaves bittersweet feeling after first start",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/real-madrids-new-signing-leaves-bittersweet-feeling-after-first-start",
        "published": "2026-08-25T06:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Real Madrid’s Mourinho happy with squad despite losing out on Rodri",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/real-madrids-mourinho-happy-with-squad-despite-losing-out-on-rodri-3249748",
        "published": "2026-08-25T11:24:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho happy with squad despite losing out on Rodri",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/real-madrids-jose-mourinho-happy-with-squad-despite-losing-out-on",
        "published": "2026-08-25T13:08:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Real Madrid’s Mourinho ‘happy’ with transfers despite Rodri miss",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/real-madrids-mourinho-happy-with-transfers-despite-rodri-miss",
        "published": "2026-08-25T13:42:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}