Real Madrid's Midfield Dilemma: The Case for Zubimendi

Real Madrid are discovering what it means to say no to Rodri.

They had the chance. They passed. Now the bill is arriving, and it’s steep.

A midfield exposed

Against Inter Milan, José Mourinho’s side were stripped bare in the one area a modern superclub cannot afford to be weak: control. The game screamed for a conductor of Rodri’s level, the kind of midfielder who calms storms and bends matches to his rhythm. Madrid didn’t have one.

Sport reported that Mourinho’s Madrid struggle to stamp their authority on games, instead leaning heavily on rapid transitions. The idea is simple: win it, break at pace, and unleash Vinícius, Mbappé and Bellingham in the final third. On paper, devastating. On the pitch, incomplete.

Opponents are starting to read it. They win the ball back too often, too easily, and turn those recoveries into danger of their own. Inter did it. Others will follow. Thibaut Courtois has already been forced into damage-limitation mode, the last line covering for a structural flaw born from one decision: Real Madrid did not go all-in to sign Rodri.

The wrong profile

Instead, the club’s priority tilted towards a more attack-minded option: Bernardo Silva, a player Barcelona ultimately rejected. Madrid stayed faithful to their current core of Aurelien Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga to knit play together.

All three are elite. None of them are Rodri.

The result is a team that can hurt you in seconds but struggles to construct attacks with the patience and precision demanded at the very top. The build-up remains Mourinho’s unfinished business, the missing piece between defensive security and the firepower up front.

Names like Arda Güler or even Trent Alexander-Arnold are floated as creative patches, possible short-term fixes to help Madrid progress the ball. Useful, yes. Definitive, no. Every workaround underlines the same truth: they still do not possess a natural controller of Rodri’s calibre.

Madrid turn to Zubimendi

So the planning has already jumped ahead to the winter transfer window. Madrid know where the gap is. They also know the name they like to fill it: Martín Zubimendi.

The Arsenal midfielder was on their radar in the summer. Now, circumstances in England may be opening a door.

Predictions in the Premier League are beginning to pile up around his future, and it’s not hard to see why. Zubimendi’s role at Arsenal has shrunk. He has started all five of the Gunners’ official matches this season on the bench, a stark demotion for a player signed to anchor their midfield.

The clearest message came on the biggest stage. In the Champions League clash with Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Zubimendi watched almost the entire game from the sidelines, thrown on for just eight minutes at the end.

This is not a sudden dip. His battle for minutes stretches back to the end of last season. In the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, he sat out the full 90 minutes and only appeared in extra time.

When he plays, he delivers. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is Mikel Arteta’s preference. Other options keep getting the nod in his position, a pattern that will inevitably start to weigh on the former Real Sociedad midfielder.

Spain proof, Arsenal dilemma

Madrid’s interest is not blind. Zubimendi’s performances for Spain have only reinforced their view. When Rodri suffered a serious injury, it was Zubimendi who stepped in to run the national team’s midfield.

He did not just cope; he shone. Think back to the second half of the Euro 2024 final, when Spain needed clarity and control. Or extra time in the 2026 World Cup final, when every touch carried risk and weight. Zubimendi handled it.

Arsenal paid 70 million euros to bring him in last season and tied him down until 2030. His market value sits in a similar range, a figure that would allow the London club to recoup their investment. For Real Madrid, that number is significant but not prohibitive, especially for a profile they lack and a player entering his prime.

A crowded race

Madrid will not have a free run. Zubimendi will attract offers. Chelsea are already keen, with Xabi Alonso pushing his name. Alonso wanted him when he was in the frame to take over at the Bernabéu, but Florentino Pérez chose not to move at the time.

Now the situation has flipped. Madrid’s midfield imbalance is obvious, Zubimendi’s minutes at Arsenal are shrinking, and the winter window is edging closer.

They passed on Rodri once. Can they really afford to let the next great Spanish controller slip away as well?