Casually, Aurélien Tchouameni is making his way to Real Madrid. A club that he joined in the summer of 2022 for €80 million after a successful stint at AS Monaco. This year, the native of Rouen begins his fifth season in the Merengue jersey. And we can say that this is certainly the year where he is most anticipated after his first season where he should prove himself after his big transfer. Indeed, the international tricolor is coming out of a particularly trying 2025-26 financial year. On the pitch, he alternated between the good and the less good (2 goals, 2 assists, 49 appearances, 46 starts), a bit like the rest of his team in the end. He did not necessarily take the departure of Xabi Alonso very well, with whom the understanding was good. This, even if he did not necessarily have problems with Alvaro Arbeloa.
But this change of coach as well as the level of the team and the fact of not winning a major title caused enormous tensions in the group. The climax was reached last May when Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni had several altercations at Valdebebas. The Uruguayan would have notably criticized the Frenchman for having revealed information in the press. He wouldn’t have wanted to shake her hand either. Some media reported a punch delivered by the former Bordeaux player to Valverde, who injured his forehead after hitting a table and had head trauma and stitches. But the two main parties denied it. Valverde had publicly denied that the French midfielder had hit him. Regardless, the Merengues had cracked down and sanctioned the two players.
Getting off to a good start with Valverde and Mourinho
Aware of this affair, José Mourinho, who took over the group, wanted to start from scratch. “I came with a lot of information. I’ve been here for three years, I have my contacts, just like you do, as a press. I learned a lot of things, not just this Tchouameni-Federico affair. I decided to start from scratch, of course from a privileged position. I didn’t need to speak to Tchouameni. I found that everything was normal. Without knowing about the problem, when I see how they interact, you can’t even imagine what happened last season. They told me that I should not intervene, that I should not exert influence to restore peace. It is not about peace, but about normality, friendship, cooperation. It’s like nothing happened.”
There Cadena SER confirms that the two men have mended their ways. They know that they will have to collaborate in Madrid. For the moment, Tchouameni hasn’t really been able to respond on the pitch. Victim of a muscle injury, he missed 29 days of competitions and 4 matches in all competitions. Which is not ideal when a new coach arrives and you have to score points. Especially since throughout the summer, he was flirted with by Manchester United, who saw him as an ideal reinforcement in the midfield. The Red Devils did not come forward directly to Real Madrid, but they were waiting for the door to open to go on the offensive. Some media have mentioned the desire of Madrilenians to separate. But in the end, Tchouameni retained the confidence of his club which still counts on him.
A very lively summer transfer window for the Frenchman
The Frenchman under contract until 2028 also followed the evolution of the Merengue transfer window with interest. This summer, Mourinho, who was not completely satisfied with the players at his disposal, called for an additional midfielder. Rodri has long been the priority. He even came close to signing before turning around and joining Barça. Good news for Tchouameni who has one less competitor on his hands. But that might be for later. Several Iberian media announce that the Special One absolutely wants a midfielder during one of the next transfer windows. He wants a boss. By then, Tchouameni will have time to completely convince him. In the group against Inter on Tuesday in the Champions League, he played 11 minutes. And the first impressions left were rather good according to A.S..
“Aurélien Tchouameni came on, replacing a disoriented Trent, the midfielder and partner of Fede Valverde against Inter (…) The presence of Tchouameni, finding his teammate Valverde on the pitch after their altercation last May (Monday marked the fourth month since the incident), brought a certain control at the end of the match.” Marca confirms and specifies that the staff is happy to be able to count on him in an article entitled “Tchouameni, a question of balance”. The media continues: “Mourinho and his staff are celebrating the return of the Frenchman, who offers a different profile from those available so far. Tchouameni came on at the Bernabéu in place of Trent. The Englishman’s experience was inconclusive, and Mourinho ultimately brought in the most traditional defensive midfielder in the squad, a tactic which will gradually be reused in future matches.
A long-awaited return to Madrid
Marca adds: “Aurélien is not yet ready to start, but he can certainly make his contribution, especially in difficult moments like last Tuesday’s match against Inter Milan, where the opponents exerted intense pressure to try to equalize, a goal that the Merengues were ultimately able to preserve. Mourinho and his staff see the gradual return of Tchouameni as excellent news for the balance of the team which until now lacked a defensive specialist in the double pivot position. Bernardo, Federico and Camavinga have different profiles, more offensive than the former Monegasque, who is expected to bring solidity to the team once he has regained his best level. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before Tchouameni becomes an indisputable starter for Mourinho. Aurélien is the most defensive and solid in duels, Bernardo the most creative, Fede the most dynamic and intense, and Camavinga the most aggressive in pressing. »
Marca concludes by adding that he will gradually be integrated into the starting lineup. He should continue to get more and more playing time. This will certainly be the case on Saturday in La Liga against Rayo Vallecano. José Mourinho excludes nothing. Not even to associate Tchouameni and Valverde. He did it again this Friday in front of the press. “I didn’t do anything. They did everything. The empathy within the group, the friendship, winning and losing together, leaving the field angry to support your teammates… Without specifically addressing the Valverde-Tchouameni situation, the group is fantastic. And in this specific case, even if I had known nothing, instead of knowing everything, they would have seemed like very good friends to me. Obviously, when Aurélien arrived, I was attentive because I had to know if I should intervene and play mediator (he smiles), but I did nothing. They sorted everything out.” Good news for everyone in Madrid.
