Real Madrid News
Mourinho eager to work with Real Madrid prodigy, has specific plans for him
Arda Guler has officially returned to Real Madrid’s pre-season training, becoming the first of the club’s World Cup participants to rejoin Jose Mourinho’s squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
The Turkish midfielder reported to Valdebebas on Monday and immediately took part in the team’s ball-work sessions, beginning what could be a defining season in his Real Madrid career.
Guler is the first international player to return from his post-World Cup break. More reinforcements are expected throughout the week, with Federico Valverde set to return next, followed by Antonio Rudiger.
As the squad gradually comes back together, Mourinho will have more opportunities to shape the team ahead of the new season.
Mourinho has high hopes
Now, as reported by AS, Guler is one of the players Mourinho has been particularly eager to work with.
It is clear that the new Real Madrid boss is an admirer of the 21-year-old playmaker. After all, the Portuguese coach previously tried to bring the midfielder to Fenerbahce on loan, and the pair also met during one of Guler’s visits to Istanbul.
Now, they will finally work together on a daily basis, with Mourinho having specific plans for the youngster to get the best out of him at the club.
Bernardo Silva increases competition
One of the strongest arguments in Guler’s favour is the partnership he developed with Kylian Mbappe last season.
Eight of Güler’s 14 assists were converted by the French striker, highlighting an attacking understanding that Real Madrid hopes to build upon.
However, earning a starting place will not be easy. The arrival of Bernardo Silva has significantly increased the competition for places.
In Mourinho’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system, Guler and Bernardo are expected to battle for a starting position, either on the right flank or in the midfield alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, where Federico Valverde is also expected to feature, creating further competition.
A crucial season ahead
Inside the club, there is a growing feeling that this will be a pivotal campaign for Guler.
His talent has never been in doubt, but with Mourinho demanding immediate results and Real Madrid entering one of its most ambitious projects in recent years, every opportunity will matter.
The Turkish international now begins pre-season determined to prove he deserves a central role in Madrid’s future.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
