Arda Güler has hit the ground running in the first days of Real Madrid’s pre-season, and the message from inside training is already clear: he has made an impression. A member of the coaching staff summed it up in two words, saying, “¡Güler está volando!”
That reaction matters because Güler was the first international player back in training, and he did not return as a fresh face. He finished last season with 51 appearances, 6 goals and 14 assists, while also laying on 8 key assists for Kylian Mbappé. Even a late injury that kept him from seeing out the campaign on the pitch did not stop him from ending as one of Real Madrid’s most productive players in the closing stretch.
José Mourinho’s staff have taken notice of more than the numbers. They have seen Güler’s technical level and the way he arrived physically prepared, and that has put him in line for a much larger share of responsibility in the new project. Mourinho is understood to want to give him an important role, which fits a relationship that goes back to the period when Mourinho for the Fenerbahçe side had already tried to bring him in on loan.
There is still no straightforward path through the depth around him. Real Madrid have added Bernardo Silva, while Ibrahim Díaz, Endrick and Franco Mastantuono are also fighting for the same space. That makes Güler’s early burst useful, but it does not make the battle simpler. He has opened pre-season with momentum; now he has to turn that into a place Mourinho cannot ignore once La Liga gets closer and the real rotation begins.
