Overview
- José Mourinho has intervened to block summer exits for Thiago Pitarch and ordered the club to keep him in the first-team group rather than sanction a loan or sale.
- Pitarch drew concrete interest from Fulham under Álvaro Arbeloa but those approaches did not result in a transfer and were turned down as part of Mourinho’s decision.
- The midfielder remains officially registered with Real Madrid Castilla because of limited senior squad numbers, but the coach will count him as a first-team player for selection and training.
- Pitarch suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in pre-season that is expected to sideline him for about six weeks, a setback that has not changed Madrid’s plan for him.
- The decision reflects Mourinho’s intent to integrate La Fábrica talent into a squad being overhauled this summer and gives Pitarch a chance to compete for a double‑pivot role alongside Tchouaméni, Valverde, Camavinga and Bernardo Silva.