Mourinho Confirms Closed Squad Despite Rodri Move to Barcelona

José Mourinho insists he has what he needs. Rodri or no Rodri.

The Real Madrid coach declared himself “very happy” with a squad he considers “closed”, even after the club failed to land the midfielder who ultimately crossed the divide to join Barcelona.

Mourinho draws a line under the market

Madrid have torn up and rebuilt large parts of their team this summer. Six signings have come through the door, headlined by record arrival Yan Diomande, the gifted Bernardo Silva and left-back Marc Cucurella. It is a significant overhaul, one designed to drag the team into a new era.

The plan in midfield, though, did not go exactly to script. Madrid pushed for Rodri but saw the move collapse, leaving Silva as the only major reinforcement in the centre of the pitch.

“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 on Tuesday.

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

The message was clear: no panic, no late scramble, no public lobbying of the board. At least not yet.

Life after Kroos and Modric

The calm tone masks a more uncomfortable reality. With Toni Kroos leaving in 2024 and Luka Modric set to follow in 2025, Madrid have lost the two men who dictated their rhythm for the best part of a decade. Without them, control has become fragile, matches more chaotic.

That fragility was on show at Espanyol on Saturday. Madrid needed a late surge to escape with a 2–1 win in their La Liga opener, a result that flattered the performance more than the scoreline suggests. Silva and Federico Valverde started together in midfield, a new pairing tasked with filling the void left by two legends.

The three points came, but not with the ease Madrid once took for granted.

Tchouameni held back

The next test arrives on Wednesday against Real Sociedad, and Mourinho will again be without one of his key anchors. Aurelien Tchouameni, the French defensive midfielder expected to become a pillar of this new-look side, is not ready.

“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,” Mourinho explained.

“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.”

No risks, no half-measures. Madrid will wait for a fully fit Tchouameni rather than rush him into August’s battles and pay for it in October.

Valverde at the heart of it

That decision throws more responsibility onto Valverde, a player whose versatility has often worked against him. Previous coaches have used the Uruguayan everywhere: right-back, right winger, box-to-box runner. Mourinho wants to simplify the picture.

“For me he is a player for the centre of the pitch,” he said. “Depending on the opponent and our objectives, he might be more set in his position or more mobile.”

The trust is obvious. Valverde will not just plug gaps; he will be central to how this Madrid side plays, with and without the ball.

Positions fade, roles matter

Mourinho also pushed back against rigid labels in his midfield, a telling comment in a squad still trying to find its new identity.

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

In other words, forget the numbers on the tactics board. This Madrid will be fluid, roles shifting with the flow of the match, responsibilities shared rather than fixed.

The transfer window remains open. Rodri is in Barcelona. Tchouameni is in the treatment room. Kroos and Modric are in the rear-view mirror.

Mourinho, though, has drawn his line: this is his squad. Now it has to prove it is enough.