{
  "id": 3249748,
  "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",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T11:24:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/08/25/real-madrid-s-mourinho-happy-with-squad-despite-losing-out-on-rodri"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho expressed satisfaction with his squad despite not completing a transfer for midfielder Rodri, who was signed by Barcelona instead. Mourinho stated that while the squad is effectively closed, the transfer market remains open for unexpected surprises. The club made significant changes this summer, signing six players, including record signing Yan Diomande and experienced players Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella. However, Madrid failed to bolster their midfield, with only Silva joining from Manchester City. Mourinho acknowledged that midfield maestros Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will leave the club in 2024 and 2025, respectively, contributing to their struggles in controlling matches. The coach also revealed that Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid's defensive midfielder, is not ready to start the season due to recovery time needed from his holiday. Mourinho expressed confidence in Valverde as a versatile midfielder, capable of adapting to different roles depending on the opponent and team objectives. He emphasized that in modern football, traditional position-based labels are becoming less relevant.",
  "summary": "Los Blancos revamped their squad this summer, signing six players, including record arrival Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella.",
  "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-3251503",
        "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."
}