In: Javi Galan (Celta Vigo), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City)
Loan Returns: Joao Felix (Chelsea), Victor Mollejo and Giuliano Simeone (Zaragoza), Rodrigo Riquelme (Girona), Sergio Camello (Rayo Vallecano), Samuel Lino (Valencia), Renan Lodi (Nottingham Forest), Borja Garces (Tenerife), Vitolo (Las Palmas)
Out: Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham), Matt Doherty (free), Marcos Paulo (Sao Paulo), Javi Serrano (loan, Sturm Graz), Geoffrey Kondogbia (Olympique Marseille), Matheus Cunha (Wolves), Manu Sanchez (Osasuna), Santiago Mourino (loan, Real Zaragoza)
Summary so far: The early stages of Atletico Madrid’s window are pretty impressive. Mourino is one for the future, but Soyuncu can provide the competition for Stefan Savic and Jose Maria Gimenez. The Uruguayan is already injured for much of August, and their fitness issues hamstrung Diego Simeone last season. With Soyuncu, they have a replacement, but also his addition should mean stretching Gimenez and Savic less.
The same can be said for Azpilicueta, who can operate in a back three or as a replacement for Nahuel Molina. Simeone now has the flexibility to rotate players and shapes – especially with the excllent addition of Javi Galan.
The 28-year-old arrives in his prime, and with Molina on one side and Galan on the other, there is little argument they are the best duo in the division on paper. It seems wasteful not to maximise them.
Much of the talk has been that Simeone also wants a central midfielder to play at the base of midfield, to compete with, rest or move Koke Resurreccion forward. A thought that is encouraged by exit of Kondogbia.
Antoine Griezmann is the key man for Los Colchoneros, so surrounding him with players that can exploit his talents is the key to success. Atletico Madrid have a lot of good players, a couple who are very good, but Griezmann is the undisputed star. Not so much Joao Felix. Everyone can promise to play nicely, but both sides were ready to call it quits in January, and still are now. From the outside looking in, this is akin to a separated couple living together because they can’t afford to move out.
Key Need: Good question. If indeed Koke were to move forward, it likely means moving one of Marcos Llorente or Rodrigo de Paul to the bench, neither of which is necessarily ideal. The deeper midfielder perhaps makes some sense, as Koke is now 31, and his presumed back-up is Axel Witsel – 34 and out of contract next season. It’s an interesting thought, because from a side that looked as if it was desperately short of quality in the first half of last season, this is something of a luxury ‘key need’. The ceiling of the players in this squad contrasts so sharply from the floor seen last autumn.
Carrasco was expected to head this summer and may still. He is the only player in the squad that specialises in beating his defender one-on-one, and arguably Samuel Lino or Rodrigo Riquelme (both have been linked with an exit) can be that alternative, but it is a function only the Belgian fulfilled last season.
Beneath the Surface: It doesn’t appear as if Atleti have the resources or desire to go after a top level striker, so this is why the forward position becomes a secondary problem, assuming that the first-choice cannot be improved drastically. Angel Correa, Memphis Depay and Alvaro Morata are all competing for the spot, but if Los Colchoneros could sign a young forward that has the potential to become that player, someone with goals in them above all else, they would be doing themselves a great service.
Sergio Camello is set to head to Rayo Vallecano, and Morata has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere – but you may have noticed that this happens every transfer window. If Morata does go, Sporting Director Andrea Berta has a real chance to show some nouse.
