Atletico Madrid Manager Diego Simeone has revealed not only the position he most wants to strengthen this summer, but also that he wants the club to move on a further five or six players this summer.
All summer Atletico have been linked to holding midfielders, such as Sofyan Amrabat and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Reading between the lines, it has become clear that Los Colchoneros want to add in that position, and now Simeone has left Diario AS in no doubt whatsoever.
“We need a midfielder to share that spot with Koke and give that position more competition. The season is long, the characteristics of those we have around Koke are not pure midfielders. [Geoffrey] Kondogbia left, we interpret Witsel more as a centre-back although he can act as a midfielder, but we believe that we are going to compete better with the arrival of another midfielder that gives us hierarchy, personality, play and internal competition.”
🎙️| Diego Simeone: “Chances of winning La Liga with Mbappé at Real Madrid? We have won it against Messi, Iniesta, Alexis Sanchez, Xavi, Busquets, Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema. It's football, not just names.” @diarioas pic.twitter.com/lwnywX4ujl
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) August 1, 2023
The clear favourite in recent weeks to arrive in the Spanish capital is Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Hojbjerg, on which Simeone was non-committal.
“There are names with which the club is working to address the need-obligation situation. The club will decide.”
He was also asked if he thought the squad could be trimmed at all, and El Cholo was clear that he expected a number of exits before the end of the window, and ideally before their first game.
“We have brought 24 outfield players and three goalkeepers, we would have been 26 with [Jose Maria] Gimenez and [Nahuel] Molina. A lot of things can happen until the game against Granada. There may be some exits and we will be left with 21 or 20 outfield players, as we have always done.”
It is not immediately clear who Simeone is referring to, but it seems less likely that returning loanees Borja Garces, Victor Mollejo and Sergio Camello continue into the season.
The likes of Vitolo, Joao Felix and Saul Niguez have been heavily linked with exits, as is the case for Alvaro Morata, although Simeone did state that he felt the striker was important for them.
