‘For me the squad is closed’: Mourinho shuts down Real Madrid transfer talk

Madrid, Aug 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho has declared that the club's incoming transfer business is effectively over for the summer, insisting he is satisfied with the squad at his disposal despite the failure to land some of the club's key targets.

Mourinho was speaking ahead of Real Madrid's delayed La Liga opener against Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu on Thursday, with the Portuguese manager making it clear that he has no immediate plans to request further additions to his squad.

"For me, the squad is closed, but the market is still open; you never know if a player will come and say, 'I've been benched twice, and I want to leave. In theory, no (more deals)... but something could always happen...In my head, the squad is closed, and I have not asked for anyone. I am very happy with the players I have," Mourinho told reporters.

Real Madrid had been linked with further reinforcements in midfield during the transfer window, particularly after missing out on Rodri, who eventually chose to join Barcelona.

The departure of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos has also marked a major change in Madrid's midfield structure, leaving Mourinho with the task of reshaping the unit around players such as Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva. However, Mourinho does not believe his midfielders need to be restricted to traditional positional roles.

"I don't want to identify [Aurelien] Tchouameni as the No. 6, [Eduardo] Camavinga as the No. 6, Fede as the No. 8, Bernardo as the No. 10...things dilute during games."

Mourinho praised the commitment of his squad and said their attitude has helped him manage his emotions, while also highlighting the challenge of accommodating several of Real Madrid's biggest attacking stars in the same starting XI.

Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are expected to play central roles in Mourinho's plans, although finding the right tactical balance between the trio could prove one of the biggest challenges of his first season back at the Bernabeu.

"The problem for a coach is not having top players, or what if one of them gets injured. I've had that problem in recent years, not being at the best clubs in Europe. I want all three of them together; their positive qualities compensate for any lack of tactical understanding they might have. That's where I can help," he said.

Source: IANS