Mourinho's Squad Dilemma at Real Madrid: Navigating Surplus Players

José Mourinho has never been one for clutter. Not in his dressing room, not in his squad list. And certainly not at Real Madrid.

Right now, though, he has 26 first‑team players on his hands. He only wants 20, plus three long-term absentees: Éder Militão, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy. Do the maths and you get the problem. Three players are, in Mourinho’s eyes, surplus – even with the injured counted.

He didn’t hide it after the match in Budapest. “I want a small squad, made up of 20 players plus the injured ones,” he said. Since then, Thiago Pitarch’s promotion from the academy has swelled the group to 26 and pushed the issue to the top of the agenda.

A €225m rebuild – and one big gap

Real Madrid have already thrown 225 million euros at Mourinho’s blueprint. Six signings arrived to reshape the team: Diomande, Cucurella, Dumfries, Konaté, Bernardo Silva and Carlos Espai. The idea was clear – give Mourinho depth in key areas, versatility across the pitch and the kind of internal competition he thrives on.

Rodri was supposed to be the jewel of the window, the signing to anchor the project. Instead, the Manchester City midfielder walked away at a decisive moment. For now, there is no plan to dip back into the market for another central midfielder. Mourinho will have to build his midfield without the player earmarked as its centrepiece.

A new central defender is the only possible late twist. That depends on one name: Asensio. If a good offer arrives and the academy graduate finally agrees to leave – despite repeating his desire to stay – Madrid could move for a centre-back.

Versatility as a weapon

Mourinho’s ideal squad is lean but flexible. He wants players who can cover multiple roles, and he has made that clear internally. Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva are central to that idea. Both can operate across the attacking line. Both can drop into midfield. Both give him options when injuries bite or games twist in unexpected directions.

The same goes for Jude Bellingham. In Mourinho’s eyes, these are the profiles that justify their place even when minutes are hard to distribute. What he does not want is a bench full of players with little chance of playing, simmering in frustration and poisoning the atmosphere. He has seen that story before and has no intention of replaying it at Valdebebas.

Camavinga in limbo

One of the most delicate cases is Eduardo Camavinga. Madrid would still listen to offers. The reality, though, is blunt: no serious bids have landed this summer.

Camavinga has hinted he wants to stay. That stance might change if a heavyweight club steps forward, but until then, his future remains suspended between the club’s willingness to sell and a market that has yet to move.

Mourinho, for his part, has appreciated the Frenchman’s pre-season. He liked the performances, liked the commitment in training. Even so, the message from the club is clear: if a suitable offer comes, the door will not be locked.

Endrick stays, Mendy stalls

Endrick’s case could have gone another way. At one point, a loan seemed the logical step to ease his adaptation and free up space. Mourinho intervened. According to Spanish newspaper AS, it was his request that shelved the idea of sending the young Brazilian out. He wants him close, learning, growing in-house.

That shifts attention back to Ferland Mendy. Left-back is overcrowded, with three options for one position. Madrid want clarity. They want to resolve Mendy’s future and trim the numbers.

Mendy, again according to AS, has no intention of leaving. No agitation, no desire to force a move. Just a firm stance that complicates the club’s plan and leaves Mourinho with one more body than he would like on that flank.

Asensio’s bad-timed setback

Then there is Asensio, the other key piece in the puzzle. Madrid are waiting for offers. The player, though, is convinced he can change Mourinho’s mind and prove he belongs in this new project.

He worked hard in pre-season, pushed to show he could be more than a squad filler. Then came a muscular injury to the quadriceps. Six weeks out of training at Valdebebas. Six weeks in which potential buyers will hesitate.

The timing could hardly be worse. With the window ticking down, every day on the treatment table makes a transfer less likely and a crowded squad more difficult to cut down.

Two per position – and a crowd at the back

Mourinho’s structure is simple: two players for every position. No more. No less. The theory is neat; the reality, less so.

At centre-back, there is a surplus until Militão returns, and his recovery remains uncertain. At left-back, Mendy’s unreliability – both in fitness and availability – makes him a complicated piece to build around, even as he occupies a valuable slot.

On the right wing, numbers are also swollen, softened only by Bernardo Silva’s ability to slide inside and operate as a midfielder. Up front, there is abundance too, the kind of abundance that looks good on paper but gives a coach headaches when it comes to minutes and egos.

If departures come, Madrid will welcome them. They will be seen as a chance to tighten the group, to align the squad with Mourinho’s demands. If the market stays quiet, most will stay where they are, even if their roles are marginal.

The heavy lifting, though, is done. The core of Mourinho’s Real Madrid is already in place. What remains, in these final days of the window, is the cut – the decision over who fits into a ruthless 20-man plan, and who has to accept that at this level, being “surplus” is sometimes the harshest verdict of all.