Real Madrid’s Regret Over Rodri Opens Path for Zubimendi

Real Madrid thought they could live without a midfielder like Rodri. Inter Milan exposed just how wrong that calculation was.

José Mourinho’s side, packed with firepower in Vinícius, Mbappé and Bellingham, cannot control games the way an elite European contender should. The problem sits in the middle of the pitch, where Madrid lack a true metronome, a player capable of dictating rhythm and giving structure to their attacks. Rodri does that for Barcelona. Madrid let him slip away — and the bill is arriving with interest.

A Team Built on Transitions, Not Control

Sport reported that Mourinho’s Madrid lean heavily on quick transitions, using their devastating forwards to punish opponents in the final third. When it works, it looks unstoppable. When it doesn’t, the flaws are brutal.

Inter showed the downside. Madrid struggled to impose themselves, struggled to keep the ball, struggled to calm the game. They attacked in flashes, not waves. Every lost ball turned into danger going the other way.

Thibaut Courtois prevented the night from turning into a full-scale disaster. His saves masked a structural issue: Madrid never replaced the kind of controller Rodri has become.

The club chose a different path. They preferred the more attacking profile of Bernardo Silva, a player Barcelona turned down. The decision left Mourinho relying on Tchouaméni, Valverde and Camavinga to build play. All three are top-class in their own right, but none offers Rodri’s blend of positional sense, passing range and calm authority.

So Madrid run. They press. They counter. What they do not do, often enough, is construct.

Makeshift Ideas, No Real Solution

Inside Valdebebas, the coaching staff know the issue. Constructing attacks and consistently creating clear chances remains the unfinished job of this Madrid side.

Names have been floated as short-term fixes. Arda Güler as a deeper playmaker. Trent Alexander-Arnold stepping infield as an auxiliary midfielder. Interesting ideas, clever even, but all of them feel like patches. None of them truly addresses what Rodri would have brought: security in possession, control of tempo, a platform for the stars ahead of him.

That is why the club have already turned their eyes to January. The winter window offers a second chance to correct a summer mistake.

And one name keeps circling back to the top of the list: Martín Zubimendi.

Zubimendi’s Arsenal Stagnation

The situation in England is pushing the door open. Predictions about Zubimendi’s future have started to multiply, and the reasons are clear.

His role at Arsenal has shrunk. The Spaniard has begun all five of the Gunners’ official matches this season on the bench. For a player who arrived as a major investment and a long-term piece of Mikel Arteta’s project, that is a sharp change of status.

The clearest sign came in the Champions League clash against Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. On a night that demanded control and composure in midfield, Zubimendi spent almost the entire game watching. Arteta only sent him on for the final eight minutes.

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

When called upon, he has delivered. That much is not in doubt. Yet Arteta continues to favour other options in his position, a decision that will inevitably start to weigh on the former Real Sociedad midfielder’s morale.

Spain Proved His Level

Real Madrid have been watching closely. Inside the club, they rate Zubimendi highly, and his performances for Spain have only reinforced that view.

When Rodri suffered a serious injury, Zubimendi stepped in and took charge of the national team’s midfield. He did not just fill a gap; he ran the show in the biggest moments.

Think back to the second half of the Euro 2024 final. Think of extra time in the 2026 World Cup final. On both occasions, he showed the temperament and tactical intelligence that elite clubs crave in the centre of the pitch.

Arsenal paid 70 million euros to bring him in last season and tied him down until 2030. That fee still reflects his current market value. For Madrid, it is a significant outlay, but not one they would consider excessive for a long-term solution in a crucial position.

It would also allow Arsenal to recover their investment cleanly, a factor that may ease negotiations if Arteta decides he can live without him.

Madrid, Chelsea and a Second Chance

Zubimendi will not be short of offers. Chelsea are in the frame, with Xabi Alonso keen on the player. Alonso wanted him when he was a candidate for the Real Madrid job, but Florentino Pérez chose not to move for him then.

Now the landscape has shifted. Madrid’s midfield control problem has been laid bare on the European stage. Rodri is out of reach. The internal experiments have not fully convinced.

Zubimendi, marginalised at Arsenal yet shining for Spain, suddenly looks like the right profile at the right time.

Madrid passed on Rodri and are living with the consequences. The question now is simple: will they make the same mistake twice?