Jose Mourinho's Vision for Arda Güler: A Future Midfield Star

Jose Mourinho already sees Arda Güler’s future unfolding along a familiar, elite path.

"I love Arda. I think something similar will happen to Arda to what happened to Luka (Modric) and Bernardo (Silva): you start at the front and finish at the back," the Portuguese coach said, drawing a direct line between the young Turk and two of the most complete midfielders of the modern era.

Mourinho didn’t stop there. He mapped out the evolution he expects.

"You start as a number 10, as an attacking player, and end up as a number 8, then as a number 6. I believe Arda will go down that path given his development and his understanding of the game."

It was more than a compliment. It sounded like a plan.

Güler’s place in a changing Madrid

Real Madrid come into this season bruised by a campaign that fell short of their own standards. No titles, no parade, and now a squad that clearly needs reshaping. Mourinho has been hired to do exactly that: integrate high-profile arrivals, but also squeeze more from the talent already in the dressing room.

Arda Güler sits right at the centre of that challenge.

Signed from Fenerbahce in 2023 for around 28 million euros, Güler arrived as one of Europe’s brightest attacking midfield prospects. Yet in a squad stacked with stars, he has struggled to carve out a permanent role. Part of the problem has been his positional uncertainty, floating between lines without ever truly owning a zone on the pitch.

Under Mourinho, that ambiguity looks set to end.

With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric gone, Madrid have lost their traditional deep-lying conductors, the players who dictated tempo and rhythm from the base of midfield. Their attempt to bring in World Cup winner Rodri collapsed when the midfielder chose Barcelona instead, leaving a clear stylistic gap.

The current central options – Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and others – bring power, athleticism and defensive security, but none naturally fit the mould of a classic regista. That opens a door.

For Güler, Mourinho’s vision of a gradual shift backwards – from 10 to 8 to 6 – could be his route to regular minutes. A deeper role would put his vision, touch and game intelligence at the heart of Madrid’s build-up, not just on the fringes of the final third.

If he adapts, he won’t just be fighting for a place in the team. He’ll be fighting to become the side’s new reference point.

Bernardo Silva, the template and the weapon

Mourinho’s blueprint for Güler becomes clearer when you listen to how he talks about another of his new weapons: Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese international chose Real Madrid despite serious interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, a transfer that carried as much symbolic weight as sporting value.

"He is a Pep Guardiola player and gives you everything. I hope we will have few problems and a lot of stability. If we have few problems and a lot of stability, then for me today Bernardo is a player for central midfield. But Bernardo can play as a number 10, on the right wing, drift inside. Bernardo can play anywhere," Mourinho said.

That versatility is exactly what he wants to foster in Güler: an attacking technician who can slide seamlessly between lines, but eventually command games from deeper positions.

Mourinho also made it clear that the Bernardo deal was not about one-upmanship in Spain’s transfer wars.

"He is a player I have loved forever. It has nothing to do with Barcelona wanting him, Atletico wanting him. Nothing to do with us stealing him because our neighbour would then be sad. It was my conviction that Bernardo matches Real Madrid's level."

For Mourinho, Bernardo is the finished article. Güler is the project. One arrives ready to run Madrid’s midfield. The other is being nudged, carefully but decisively, towards that same responsibility.

If the Turk follows the path of Modric and Bernardo, Mourinho won’t just have rebuilt a midfield. He’ll have built its next decade.