€125m signing Jan Diomande may be warming Real Madrid's bench

Real Madrid's summer marquee signing Jan Diomande — who arrived from Leipzig for €125 million — has yet to start a single LaLiga match, and pundits in Spain are already debating whether the Ivorian will be handed a regular place or be forced to share minutes from the bench.

Competition for places in midfield

The discussion intensified on the radio programme El Larguero, where longtime Real commentator Tomás Roncero argued that Diomande's presence in the starting XI would force a tactical adjustment that could blunt Jude Bellingham's influence.

Roncero warned that inserting Diomande into the eleven would push Bellingham deeper. "If Diomande starts the match, Bellingham would have to drop 15 metres back. Without Arda Guler, there is not enough support in the organisation of the game, and with that you lose the best of Bellingham," he said.

Former Real player Álvaro Benito was especially complimentary of Arda Guler, pointing to the Turkish midfielder's off-ball work and his tendency to join the attack behind Kylian Mbappé, helping to form a midfield quartet with Bernardo Silva, Federico Valverde and Bellingham.

Benito added that Guler "often comes in behind Mbappé during the build-up and forms a midfield four with Bernardo Silva, Valverde and Bellingham. Besides that, he works extremely hard without the ball."

Panelists concluded that Diomande will likely have to split minutes across competitions this season. Roncero predicted the new recruit could end up on the bench more than many expected when the transfer was completed.

"I believe Diomande is a great player, but I think he will spend a lot of time on the bench because I don't see many opportunities for him to be a starter at the moment," Roncero said. For now, after two rounds Real have two wins and the current starting eleven appears to be delivering results, underscoring that a €125 million fee does not guarantee a place in the first XI.

Photo: press material from the event