José Mourinho Predicts Arda Güler as Real Madrid's Next Great Midfielder
José Mourinho has never been shy about bold predictions. This time, he has picked out Arda Güler as the next great midfielder to reinvent himself at Real Madrid.
"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 sees a clear evolution ahead.
"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."
From luxury talent to midfield heartbeat?
After a season in Madrid that fell short of the club’s expectations, Mourinho has walked into a dressing room full of stars but short on certainty. His task is blunt: reshape the squad, integrate the new signings, and drag the existing core back to their peak.
Arda Güler sits right at the heart of that challenge.
Signed from Fenerbahce in 2023 for 28 million euros, Güler arrived as one of Europe’s brightest attacking prospects. Yet in a squad stacked with high-end talent, he has struggled to carve out a permanent role. Part of the problem has been positional drift: a bit of a 10, sometimes wide, occasionally deeper, but never the undisputed first choice in any of those zones.
Under Mourinho, that may be about to change.
With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric gone, Real Madrid have lost their classic deep-lying orchestrators, the players who dictated rhythm from the base of midfield. Their attempt to plug that gap with World Cup winner Rodri failed when the Spaniard chose Barcelona instead, leaving a stylistic void in the centre of the pitch.
The current options do not naturally fill it. Fede Valverde brings power, vertical running and energy. Aurelien Tchouameni offers defensive steel and presence. Both are elite, both central to Madrid’s plans, but neither is the pure tempo-setting metronome Kroos once was.
That is where Güler’s future could lie. Dropping him deeper, giving him the game in front of him, could unlock the minutes and responsibility he has been chasing. Mourinho’s comparison with Modric is not about status yet, but about trajectory: start as a 10, end up as the brain of the team.
Mourinho’s other jewel: Bernardo Silva
Güler is not the only technical craftsman Mourinho is reshaping his midfield around. The coach also stopped to lavish praise on new signing Bernardo Silva, who chose Real Madrid despite strong interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
"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.
It is a telling description. Central midfield as the base, freedom as the weapon.
For Mourinho, this was not a transfer driven by rivalry or politics, but by pure footballing conviction.
"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."
With Kroos and Modric gone, Rodri in Barcelona colours, Bernardo installed as a multi-purpose midfielder and Güler being nudged backwards into the engine room, Mourinho’s Madrid is starting to take shape.
The only question now: can Arda Güler grow quickly enough into that deeper role to become the next great reference point in the Bernabéu midfield?
