Jose Mourinho might spare Real Madrid from entering another race to sign a midfielder, having started to prepare Trent Alexander-Arnold for a different role within his new project.
The Portuguese manager’s idea comes after the collapse of the Rodri deal, who was the primary target to lead the team’s midfield before the Manchester City player prioritized a move to Barcelona.
Mourinho was among the most enthusiastic about signing the Spanish international, even personally participating in attempts to convince him to move to the Santiago Bernabeu with an offer described by those close to the player as difficult to refuse. However, Rodri chose Hansi Flick’s project for sporting reasons.
Following the failed operation, the Real Madrid board informed Mourinho that securing another major midfield signing would be difficult, asking him to work with the players at his disposal. This forced the Portuguese coach to seek innovative solutions within the squad.
Here, a card that was never entirely off the table presented itself to Mourinho: converting Arnold from a right-back into a playmaker, capitalizing on his passing quality instead of leaving him in direct competition with Denzel Dumfries for a single position.
The shift did not begin by placing the English player directly in midfield. Instead, Mourinho gave him a hybrid role during friendly matches; defending as a right-back, then drifting centrally in possession to support the midfielders and oversee the build-up.
The experiment was clearly evident against Fiorentina when the coach asked Arnold to stay close to Camavinga and Valverde during the ball progression. Cadena SER also noted that Mourinho is giving him greater responsibilities than usual in organizing play and is considering utilizing him in this role during official matches.
The task does not seem foreign to Arnold, who previously performed similar roles with Liverpool during the Jurgen Klopp era, especially since the spring of 2023, when he would transition into a second midfielder alongside the holding player during possession.
That shift helped Liverpool better utilize Arnold’s vision, his ability to execute long passes, and break pressing lines. During the initial matches of the experiment against Arsenal and Leeds, he provided three assists before the hybrid role became an integral part of Klopp’s final team iteration.
Arnold is responding well to Mourinho’s demands, while the presence of Dumfries encourages the continuation of the experiment. The Dutch arrival has become a strong candidate to secure the right-back spot, starting in the friendlies he was available for, which allows Arnold to be freed and moved centrally without weakening the right flank.
Real Madrid has been searching for this type of solution since Toni Kroos retired and Luka Modric departed. Despite possessing names like Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, Arda Guler, and Jude Bellingham, none have successfully replicated the historic duo’s ability to fully control the match tempo and orchestrate play from the back.
The club also signed Bernardo Silva and decided to keep youngster Thiago Pitarch. However, the friendly against Deportivo La Coruna revealed ongoing build-up difficulties against low-block teams, pushing Mourinho to prepare multiple solutions using the same personnel.
Arnold will not be an exact replica of Rodri, and moving him to the midfield carries some risks regarding positioning and defensive pressing. However, he possesses the most crucial element Real Madrid has missed since Kroos left: a player who can see the pitch ahead of him and switch the ball quickly from side to side.
Real Madrid will play their final friendly match against Schalke on Sunday, August 16, before officially kicking off their season against Espanyol on Saturday, August 22, at 10:30 PM (EEST) at the RCDE Stadium. The matchday one fixture against Real Sociedad has been postponed to August 26 due to several players participating in the final stages of the World Cup.
