Real Madrid's Midfield Challenges Without Tchouameni

Real Madrid are learning to live without Aurelien Tchouameni, and Jose Mourinho is making sure they do it on his terms, not the player’s.

The French midfielder has not kicked a ball this season, still wrestling with a physical problem that has lingered since the World Cup with France, where his minutes were carefully managed. The issue has now settled in the groin area, a delicate zone for any player, but especially for one whose game is built on power, range and constant movement.

In his absence, Mourinho has turned to a different kind of safety net. Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva have become his holding pair, an improvised axis that has carried the workload while Tchouameni watches from the sidelines, frustrated but under orders.

Mourinho draws a hard line

According to Bernabeu Digital, there is no debate inside Valdebebas about how this is handled. Real Madrid will not take a single unnecessary risk with Tchouameni, no matter how loudly the 26-year-old pushes to return.

Mourinho has laid out a strict recovery plan and has no intention of bending it. No shortcuts, no rushed comebacks, no “let’s see how it feels” experiments in live competition. Tchouameni’s workload will be increased step by step, and crucially, without a fixed return date circled on the calendar.

The message is blunt: he will only come back when he is completely ready.

Mourinho’s stance says plenty about how central he considers Tchouameni to his project. The Portuguese coach views the France international as a physical anchor, a player who brings balance, bite and presence at the base of midfield. He also sees a future partnership with Valverde as a key structural piece, a blend of power, legs and discipline that can underpin the more expressive talents ahead of them.

That is why Madrid are prepared to do something they rarely enjoy doing: sacrifice a top player’s availability now to protect the long term. They would rather lose him for a few games in September than for months when the season tightens and the fixtures start to suffocate.

Long-term availability comes first. The scars of last season’s injury problems are still fresh, and Mourinho is determined not to repeat a campaign in which players were rushed back and paid for it later.

For Tchouameni, that means patience, even if his own body is telling him he can push harder. There is no definitive comeback date on the table. If it takes another month, so be it — but it has to be at full fitness, not 80 or 90 percent.

A missing profile in midfield

While Madrid wait on Tchouameni, another debate has been bubbling around Mourinho’s squad. For all the money spent this summer and all the talent assembled, one type of midfielder still appears to be missing.

The team is loaded with quality: Valverde’s energy, Jude Bellingham’s dominance between the lines, Tchouameni’s defensive security when fit. Yet there is still a sense that the side lacks a pure controller, someone to dictate rhythm from the base and knit everything together with the ball.

Rodri was supposed to be that man. Madrid had moved along the path to sign the Manchester City midfielder, only to see him choose Barcelona instead. That decision left a very specific gap in the squad profile, and not everyone believes it has been filled.

Former Real Madrid player Alvaro Benito has put a name on the table: Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal.

Speaking to Defensa Central, Benito argued that Zubimendi offers exactly what Mourinho’s midfield lacks. His case is not built on eye-catching statistics or highlight reels. He points to the Spaniard’s positioning, intelligence and use of the ball — the kind of qualities that make the collective function better rather than dominate individual metrics.

Zubimendi, a Spain international, also brings competitiveness and strength in duels, traits that naturally appeal to a coach like Mourinho. In Benito’s eyes, he is one of the closest available profiles to Rodri on the market, a player who gives structure and clarity to those around him.

“If you can get your hands on him and he’s to Mourinho’s and the club’s liking… I wouldn’t hesitate to sign him. Zubimendi makes those around him better,” Benito said, underlining how highly he rates the Arsenal midfielder.

Transfer door closed… for now

Reality, though, is colder than theory. Despite Benito’s endorsement, there is little sign that Madrid will move for Zubimendi in the final stretch of the window. The feeling at Valdebebas is that the squad is effectively closed. No major arrivals, no major exits expected before the deadline.

Arsenal have also shut the door. The Gunners have no intention of letting the 27-year-old leave this summer, which makes any late push from Madrid almost impossible.

Even so, Benito believes the club should keep the operation in mind if circumstances change and Mourinho gives the green light. Zubimendi is seen as a player worth tracking over the coming months, not just a name for a single window.

Madrid may not act now, but that does not mean the chapter is over. If the midfield still cries out for a controller later in the season — and if Tchouameni’s role evolves more as an enforcer than a metronome — the question will return.

Zubimendi would improve this Madrid midfield, Benito insists. The only doubt is when, and whether, the club decide that missing profile can no longer be ignored.