Jose Mourinho spilled the beans on his master plan with Arda Guler at Real Madrid
Young Real Madrid center midfielder Arda Guler registered nine assists and led all Champions League players in chance created last season, already breaking out as one of European football's elite playmakers. And as he is still only 21 years of age despite multiple seasons at the top level since joining Madrid in 2023, Madridistas firmly believe he is on the precipice of a breakout.
Finding the best role for Guler, though, has been trickier. He can play as a No. 10, but Real Madrid already have an even better 10 for the modern game in Jude Bellingham, who is a more robust athlete in the box and can score the goals Madrid need in conjunction with Kyilan Mbappe as a more fluid No. 9.
Carlo Ancelotti briefly flirted with the idea of Guler as a regista in the Andrea Pirlo mold, above the fray with the space deeper to utilize his playmaking further away from the muck of the low blocks of La Liga. That was all forgotten when Ancelotti was fired not long after, but Jose Mourinho, the new Real Madrid manager, has revived that discussion with a deeper role for the Turkish international in the preseason.
Is Arda Guler Jose Mourinho's pick to succeed Luka Modric at Real Madrid?
Speaking with Jose Pedrelol on El Chiringuito, Mourinho revealed that instead of making Arda Guler the next Mesut Ozil, as the Spanish papers have relayed to the fans, Mou wants to turn him into an even bigger Real Madrid legend, invoking the name of 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric.
Mourinho said, via Madrid Xtra, “I’m in love with Arda Güler as a player. I think with him it's going to be like Luka Modric in the end he will end up as a '8' and then as a '6'.”
A No. 6 regista in a double pivot next to Bernardo Silva or another box to box midfielder operating as the more active 8 makes better sense for Guler, but that's largely what Jose Mourinho means here with putting him in as a No. 6 eventually in his final evolution Pokemon style.
Guler does not have the same skill set as Luka Modric, though in his wide left midfield role in a 4-4-2 last season, Madridistas did get to see more ball carrying in transitions from the 21 year old playmaker. But Guler is so good at passing the ball and not as much of an athlete or dribbler, so keeping him in that playmaking capacity but behind Jude Bellingham makes the mose sense. And right now, it looks like Mourinho sees it that way, too.
