Jose Mourinho says Tchouameni, Valverde appear ‘great friends’ despite previous altercations

Jose Mourinho says he has not had to intervene in the relationship between Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde, despite the pair being at the centre of one of last season’s biggest dressing-room stories.

Tchouameni and Valverde were involved in two separate altercations, a day apart, in May, with the latter taken to hospital to undergo assessments after sustaining a head injury during the second incident. Madrid opened disciplinary proceedings against both players, resulting in €500,000 fines.

Over the summer, Tchouameni signed a new contract with Madrid despite transfer interest from Manchester United, while Valverde was made club captain following the departure of Dani Carvajal.

Speaking at his press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game against Rayo Vallecano, Mourinho said: “Look, I haven’t done anything. They’ve done everything themselves. The empathy within the group today, the friendship, the way they work together, the frustration when they go off because nobody wants to be substituted, but still supporting their teammates, the player who comes on in the final minute… the group is fantastic.

“If I knew nothing, if I walked into the dressing room without knowing anything about the situation, I’d think they were great friends. When they came back from the World Cup, I was obviously paying attention to see whether I needed to act as a peacekeeper, but I didn’t have to do anything.”

The comments came after Tchouameni made his first appearance of the season in Madrid’s Champions League game against Inter Milan.

The France midfielder came on in the 78th minute to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, having been sidelined since the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where France reached the semi-finals. After the match, which Madrid won 2-1, Tchouameni embraced Valverde.

The end of a Madrid soap opera?

Although Madrid president Florentino Perez described the row between Tchouameni and Valverde as the sort of thing that happens in any dressing room, it was arguably one of the biggest stories of the year. Not only because of the incident itself, but because it came at the end of a difficult period for Madrid, during which three head coaches came and went and the club went two years without winning a major trophy.

Inside the dressing room, there was a growing sense that, without a common objective to bring everyone together, relationships between some players had begun to fray. A number of incidents followed, several of which eventually found their way into the media.

Against that backdrop, and 13 years after his previous spell at the club, it was reasonable to ask whether Mourinho was the kind of figure Madrid needed. His forceful personality and demanding approach to leadership appeared to offer a possible answer to the problems that had developed within the squad.

But, curiously, that is not the Mourinho we have seen so far.

Rather than imposing himself as the dominant figure in the dressing room, he has emerged as more of a unifying presence, trying to build harmony among his players and, just as importantly, between the team, the supporters and even the media.

That may help explain his approach to the Tchouameni-Valverde saga. Rather than stepping in and asserting his authority, Mourinho has largely remained on the sidelines, more witness than referee.

The Portuguese says he has had no need to intervene. His comments suggest that, at least for now, he sees the relationship between the two midfielders not as a problem to be managed, but as evidence that the dressing room has already moved on.