Real Madrid's Midfield Dilemma: The Case for Zubimendi

Real Madrid are discovering what it means to say no to Rodri.

They passed on the chance to sign him. Now every big game under José Mourinho is a reminder of what they lack: a true midfield conductor. The defeat to Inter Milan tore the problem wide open. Madrid could run, they could counter, they could throw Vinícius, Mbappé and Bellingham at space. What they could not do was control the game.

Sport highlighted the issue bluntly. Mourinho’s side do not dominate matches. They live off transitions, waiting for a loose ball or a turnover to unleash their forwards. When it works, it looks spectacular. When it doesn’t, they suffer.

And lately, they’ve been suffering.

Opponents are starting to read them. Teams win the ball back, step into Madrid’s half and turn those recoveries into chances. Thibaut Courtois has been left to clean up the mess, saving his team from heavier scorelines. All of this, the piece argued, flows from one decision: Madrid did not do everything possible to bring in Rodri, the kind of controller Barcelona now enjoy at the heart of their midfield.

Instead, Madrid leaned towards a different profile. They preferred Bernardo Silva, a more attacking option and a player Barcelona ultimately turned down. So Mourinho continues to build from deep with Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga. All three are elite. None of them, though, offer the same metronomic authority Rodri brings.

That gap defines Madrid’s play. Constructing attacks, sustaining pressure, creating clear chances from organised possession – it remains the unfinished part of Mourinho’s project. There are ideas on the table. Arda Güler could drop in as a playmaker. Trent Alexander-Arnold, if used in midfield, might help with distribution. But every solution feels like a patch, not a pillar.

So Madrid have turned their eyes to January.

The winter window is looming, and inside the club there is a growing sense that this is the moment to fix the position properly. One name has moved back to the top of the list, a player they already chased in the summer and who might now be within reach: Martín Zubimendi of Arsenal.

Zubimendi’s shrinking role at Arsenal

In England, the predictions are starting to build. Zubimendi looks like a player whose situation could change quickly. His role at Arsenal has clearly diminished. The Spaniard has begun all five of the Gunners’ official matches this season on the bench.

The strongest signal came in the Champions League clash with Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. On a night that demanded trust and hierarchy, Zubimendi watched almost the entire match from the sidelines and played only eight minutes.

This is not a new issue. His battle for minutes stretches back to the end of last season. In the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, he did not feature in the 90 minutes of regulation time and only came on in extra time.

When he has played, he has delivered. That part is not in doubt. Even so, Mikel Arteta continues to prefer other options in his role, a pattern that could start to weigh on the confidence and patience of the former Real Sociedad midfielder.

Spain form keeps Madrid interested

Real Madrid have never lost sight of Zubimendi. Inside the Bernabéu, they rate him highly, and his performances for Spain have only strengthened that conviction.

When Rodri suffered a serious injury, Zubimendi stepped in and ran the national team’s midfield. He did not just fill a gap; he imposed himself in the biggest moments. The second half of the Euro 2024 final, extra time in the 2026 World Cup final – those are the stages where he showed he can handle the weight of a nation’s expectations.

Arsenal paid 70 million euros to sign him last season and tied him down until 2030. Any deal will not come cheap. His market value sits in a similar bracket, a figure that would allow Arsenal to recoup their investment. For Madrid, that price is significant but not prohibitive, especially for a player they see as a long-term anchor.

They will not have a clear run at him, though. Zubimendi’s profile guarantees competition. Chelsea are also in the race under Xabi Alonso, who had already pushed for the midfielder when he was a candidate for the Real Madrid job. On that occasion, Florentino Pérez decided not to move.

Now the question hangs over the Bernabéu: having missed out on Rodri, can Madrid afford to let another midfield controller slip away?