Mundo Deportivo report that José Mourinho is intent on building his Real Madrid side around Arda Güler in a role modelled on Mesut Özil, the Turkish playmaker the player who only spent three seasons at the club.
The Özil Parallel
The comparison between Güler and Özil has circulated in Spanish football media since the Turkish midfielder arrived from Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2023 for €30 million. Both share Turkish heritage, but the structural similarities run deeper than passport: progressive passing, vision in tight spaces, and the capacity to deliver the final ball that unlocks defences. Mundo Deportivo note that Mourinho, now back in the Bernabéu dugout, was precisely the manager who extracted the best from Özil during that earlier stint – which gives the framing considerably more substance than a lazy nationality comparison.
Güler has grown steadily since his arrival, yet a settled starting position has remained elusive. His use has oscillated between the right wing, the right interior, and occasionally deeper in build-up play – a positional flux that has reflected well on his adaptability
The Mbappé Connection
According to Mundo Deportivo, Mourinho’s specific priority is to exploit the combination play Güler has already developed with Kylian Mbappé – combining a lot with Kylian Mbappé at the start of the past season. The arithmetic here is deliberate: Mbappé occupies the same structural role Ronaldo once did, and Güler is the available candidate to replicate what Özil provided.
Whether Mourinho, who has been building his squad and staff structure since arriving at the club, has formally communicated this plan internally is not stated in Mundo Deportivo’s report.
A Pre-Season Without Distractions
Turkey’s early exit from the World Cup means Güler returns for pre-season without the disruption of a deep international run, giving Mourinho a full window to work with him before competitive action begins. Mundo Deportivo flag this explicitly as a genuine opportunity: for Güler to press his case for a defined role in the system, and for Mourinho to establish whether a ‘Mesut Özil 2.0’ role can deliver similar results.
Güler has shown enough to suggest the ceiling is real. The question for Mourinho’s pre-season planning is whether he can give Güler the role to deliver results like a ‘Mesut Özil 2.0’. A player of his type – one whose value is rooted in combination play and creative timing – Mourinho wants to get the best from Güler.
