Atletico Madrid have on a number of occasions been described as the side with the most depth in La Liga this season, with Diego Simeone having a number of alternatives and differing profiles to call on. Not least La Liga’s second-top scorer last season, Alexander Sorloth, who despite strong form has been kept to a role mostly off the bench.
The one area that has been highlighted for some time as a desire for Los Colchoneros in the transfer market, and notably for Simeone, is the sitting midfielder position. Last summer the club spent €40m on Conor Gallagher, but he has been used further forward by Simeone, meaning they could be back in for Javi Guerra next summer.
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However Marca say that a new priority has also been identified, the left-back position. Director of Football Carlos Bucero, who has recently taken over recruitment duties from departed Sporting Director Andrea Berta, has already begun the search for a new defender on the left side.
While Javi Galan has been pointed to on multiple occasions as an example for his teammates by Simeone, due to the sacrifice and patience he has shown, Los Rojiblancos are considering returning him to the bench. They may well use Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of him, as doubts grow about his level.
With Reinildo Mandava, the other left-footed alternative there, out of contract at the end of the season, Atletico have established the need to go after a ‘top’ left-back this coming summer. No names are mentioned, but certainly it would make sense that they are keen to address the position, with Azpilicueta (36), Mandava (31) and Galan (30) all in the latter stages of their career. So far this season Galan has started exactly half of their La Liga fixtures, making a total of 23 appearances and providing three assists in 20 starts.
