Mourinho says Real Madrid squad is complete despite Rodri setback

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho says he is “very happy” with his squad and does not expect to make further signings, despite the club missing out on midfielder Rodri, who subsequently joined rivals Barcelona.

Madrid have made six additions during the summer transfer window, including record signing Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella. However, their attempt to recruit Rodri was unsuccessful, leaving Silva as the only major midfield reinforcement.

Mourinho insists he has not asked the club to bring in anyone else and believes his squad is strong enough for the season.

“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’,” Mourinho told reporters.

“In theory no (more deals)… but something could always happen… In my head the squad is closed closed, and I have not asked for anyone. I am very happy with the players I have.”

The manager’s comments come after Madrid began their La Liga campaign with a dramatic 2-1 victory at Espanyol on Saturday. Silva and Federico Valverde started together in midfield for that match.

Madrid have faced questions about their control in the centre of the pitch since the departures of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Despite those concerns, Mourinho says he is satisfied with the options available to him.

One player who will not feature against Real Sociedad on Wednesday is France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Mourinho said the 25-year-old had not had enough time to recover during the holiday period and would not be risked at the start of the season.

“He’s got a problem, the holiday time wasn’t enough (for him to recover), seeing the games approaching the player wanted to try… but we’ve decided that you can’t start a season in suffering,” explained the coach.

“You can finish a season suffering, the last couple of months, but you can’t start in August not at 100 percent.

“So we decided with him, the staff, the medical department, to get him to return at 100 percent.”

Mourinho also backed Valverde to establish himself as a central midfielder. The Uruguay international has previously been used in several positions by former managers, including at right-back and on the right wing.

“For me he is a player for the centre of the pitch,” added Mourinho.

“Depending on the opponent and our objectives, he might be more set in his position or more mobile.”

The manager said modern football had made traditional positional labels less important, arguing that players’ roles often change during matches.

“I don’t want to identify Tchouameni as the No. 6, Camavinga No. 6, Fede No. 8, Bernardo No. 10… things dilute during games.”