Jose Mourinho has dismissed the idea that Real Madrid are short in midfield despite missing out on Rodri. Speaking before the new season opener against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium, he said Rodri would have been “the icing on the cake” rather than a necessity.

Mourinho's view on the midfield

“I don’t think we have a deficit in midfield,” Mourinho said, before listing Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Valverde, Bernardo and Arda as options. He added that Arda can also play in those positions, which is why he did not frame the Rodri pursuit as a rescue job.

The quote points to a clear line from Mourinho. He sees Rodri as a premium addition, but not someone Real Madrid needed in order to function.

That stance is easier to understand when you look at the team’s recent form. Madrid arrive on a run of four wins in their last five league games, with nine goals scored and only four conceded in that stretch.

Why the Rodri move was treated as a luxury

Mourinho's wording matters because he did not hide behind cautious football clichés. Rodri, he said, “would have been like the icing on the cake”, and if he had arrived, Madrid would have improved. That is different from saying the squad was incomplete without him.

It also fits the way Madrid have approached the summer. The club signed Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande, while Rodri joined Barcelona earlier this week according to the source report.

The broader case is simple enough: Madrid are starting a season where they already have midfield depth, and Mourinho is happy to say so out loud. He named five options in one breath, which is not how a manager talks about a position he considers weak.

Their opener against Espanyol is the first chance to show that in practice. Espanyol finished 11th last season, while Madrid ended 2025 with 86 points and second place in La Liga, so the expectation is that the new campaign begins with control rather than concern.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →