Cliff Notes – Arsenal scout Rodrigo Mendoza – who is the Spain U20 talent
- Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, 20, has caught Arsenal’s attention after a promising start in LaLiga, following his promotion from Segunda División.
- Mendoza has represented Spain at various youth levels, including the U20 World Cup, where he played a key role in the team’s progression to the quarter-finals.
Arsenal scout Rodrigo Mendoza – who is the Spain U20 talent?
Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza has been scouted by Arsenal, sources told ESPN, having impressed so far in his debut LaLiga season.
Mendoza previously spent the previous two seasons playing for Elche in the Segunda División. He came up through their youth structures after joining the club in 2019. Now 20 years old, he has represented Spain at every age category from under-17 to U21.
Here is everything you need to know about Mendoza…
Rodrigo Mendoza’s journey to LaLiga
Mendoza was born in Molina de Segura, a municipality in the autonomous Spanish province of Murcia. He played for EF Altorreal, EF San Miguel and Ranero CF as a youngster before Elche secured his services in 2019.
He made his first team debut in November 2022, replacing Josan in a 3-0 away Copa del Rey win over CD L’Alcora. Elche were relegated from LaLiga in the 2022-23 season, so it would be some time before he made his top flight debut.
The midfielder established himself in the first team over the course of the next two seasons. Comfortable as an attacking midfielder or deeper in the middle of the park, Mendoza made a combined 44 league appearances in the second tier across the course of two seasons, scoring two goals.
Elche finished a lowly 11th in the 2023-24 Segunda División, but were runners-up to Levante in 2024-25 and thus earned promotion to LaLiga.
Mendoza has seen consistent game time early in Elche’s 2025-26 LaLiga campaign and continued to impress with the team winning three, drawing seven and losing three of their first 13 games. However, he was an unused substitute for the 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Nov. 23.
Rodrigo Mendoza’s Spain careerRodrigo Mendoza has represented Spain in the FIFA U20 World Cup. Getty
Mendoza has represented Spain since U17 level and was part of their team for this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in all five of their games.
Spain progressed to the quarter-finals after finishing third in Group C behind eventual champions Morocco and Mexico and then beating Ukraine 1-0 in the round of 16 as Mendoza provided the assist for Pablo García’s winner. In the last eight, they were beaten 3-2 by Colombia.
Where does Arsenal’s interest in Rodrigo Mendoza stand?
Arsenal have scouted Mendoza, and they like him, but there has not been any official bid to Elche.
Where would Rodrigo Mendoza fit in at Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta has fairly defined roles for his midfielders in his current 4-3-3, and it’s likely Arsenal have the forward-thinking positions in mind for Mendoza.
Arteta’s ‘six’ — Martín Zubimendi for now — dictates possession from deep and generally hangs back on attacks, while Declan Rice operates in a box-to-box ‘eight’ from the left, and Martin Ødegaard, or Eberechi Eze, in the right-sided 10, often linking with Bukayo Saka and the striker.
Mendoza, on the face of it, would be a more seamless fit for that Ødegaard, Eze position, although Arteta did tinker with playing both playmakers early on this season at Newcastle — with Rice dropping back to hold — before an Odegaard injury stopped that experiment.
Deputising would be more likely for Mendoza — particularly this year — with gametime in key fixtures already at a premium.
While Arsenal are always on the lookout for technically-gifted midfielders, Mendoza would have to battle the already minutes-starved Ethan Nwaneri for a role in the first team.
Squad depth and untapped potential — particularly for the price — are likely the key thoughts towards any potential winter move for Mendoza.
Information from ESPN’s James Olley contributed to this report.
