Endrick is the story of the week, and nobody at the club is saying otherwise
Two appearances on the bench, zero starts, and the Rayo Vallecano match came and went without him (7). Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 4–1 at the Bernabéu on Saturday, their fourth home win in five league games, and Endrick watched the whole thing from the touchline (1)(7).
This is now a pattern, not a dip. The Brazilian arrived as the next great Madrid forward and has become the man Mourinho rotates last. When a 19-year-old gets a first senior start ahead of you, the message is not subtle (1). The exit talk is no longer speculative noise (7).
Diomande got his chance and the press shrugged
Yan Diomande started a La Liga match for the first time against Rayo. He is 19 (1). Real Madrid won 4–1, which should have been the headline. Instead the Spanish press called his debut underwhelming despite the scoreline (9).
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That is a harsh read on a teenager in his first start, but it also tells you what the standard is here. One good training week does not buy you patience at this club. Diomande has the minutes Endrick does not, and if he does not take them quickly, the conversation shifts back to the bench (9)(7).
Güler is running the team and the numbers prove it
Arda Güler has created 24 chances in La Liga this season. Lamine Yamal has 18 (1). Those are the two names the league is built around right now, and Güler is ahead of the Barcelona teenager in the only category that matters for a playmaker (1).
He is not a project anymore. He is the brain of the side, the player the whole attack routes through, and the club knows it, with talks over a new deal running to 2031 (1)(3). Bernardo Silva has settled into the role Mourinho handed him alongside him, which gives Güler the freedom to stay high and keep creating (2).
That midfield is working. Twelve points from five games, second in the table, +10 goal difference, and the only league defeat came at Betis on September 4 (4). Real Madrid are not perfect, but they are not searching for answers either.
The January window is already being planned
Real Madrid are watching Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace, with a January move priced at 87 million (6). That is a real number for a real target, not an agent floating a name.
Nico Paz is the longer game, with a straight choice between Madrid and Arsenal for the summer 2027 market (5). Madrid have the pull, but Arsenal are no longer a club you can assume will lose that race.
What to watch
Elche away on Tuesday, September 15, 21:30 CEST, and then Atlético away on Sunday, September 20 (fixtures). Two road games in six days against sides that will sit deep and foul Güler every time he turns. If Endrick does not get minutes in that stretch, the January conversation stops being a rumour.
