In what was a very unusual transfer window by their own standards, Atletico Madrid emerged as one of the highest spenders across Europe. Diego Simeone’s side’s claim to fame had been that they were a smaller team competing with the might of Real Madrid and Barcelona, but they can well match the ‘Big 2’ of Spain on and off the field now. Atletico needed a big summer to keep up after a poor last season and they should be satisfied with the work that they have done.
Atletico Madrid Transfer Window 2024: Key areas addressed
There were 6 incomings. Let us look at them one by one. Robin Le Normand was signed on the back of a strong Euro 2024 for £30m from Real Sociedad. He has gone straight into the starting XI and will stay there. While he’s hardly the type that makes headlines, he’s solid and reliable which should be good enough. Alexander Sorloth then came in for £27m from Villarreal. He’s a reliable source of goals in La Liga and while he lacks the all-round game of Alvaro Morata who he’s replacing, the Norwegian will get the goals that Morata often didn’t.
Then came the most expensive deal of this summer, when Los Rojiblancos signed Julian Alvarez from Manchester City for £60m in a deal that could rise to above £80m. Alvarez is a superstar who can play a number of roles in attack. Expect him to challenge for the Pichichi soon. He’ll play as the second striker with Sorloth or even as the main striker with Antoine Griezmann if needed. This is almost a guaranteed hit. Conor Gallagher (£36m) came in from Chelsea after a lengthy saga. He is the exact prototype of the midfielder that Simeone loves. The type that never stops working, scores goals, and would go to war if so instructed. Once again, this one is likely to be a huge hit too.
Atleti also brought in Clement Lenglet from Barcelona on a loan deal. He’s expected to be a backup player but with the injury issues that Jose Gimenez often has to deal with, he could get significant game time. Juan Musso has also been brought in on loan from Atalanta and he’s expected to be back up to Jan Oblak in goal.
In terms of outgoings, Atleti will be very happy to see the back of Joao Felix to Chelsea for £45m. They also offloaded Saul on loan to Sevilla. They also let go of Memphis Depay, Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic, Gabriel Paulista, and Caglar Soyuncu. They sold Alvaro Morata to Milan for £12m. However, the one that they might come to regret is the sale of young promising striker Samu Omorodion to Porto for less than £15m before he even made an appearance for the club.
What could have been done better?
Centre back. Le Normand is a good acquisition but considering they let go of 4 CBs in the summer, another quality signing in that position was necessary. Clement Lenglet isn’t the necessary quality. They were linked to a number of other left-footed options but failed to get any over the line. Gimenez’s fitness will be one to watch over the season.
Also Read: FC Barcelona 2024 summer transfer window analysis, predicted line-up for 2024-25
How will the new signings fit in the starting XI?
Le Normand walks in straight into the heart of defence as stated earlier. Sorloth and Alvarez will form the striker pairing most weeks, meaning Griezmann will most probably go further back. Lenglet and Musso are back ups. Gallagher is the most interesting one. He is expected to slot into central midfield most weeks but Simeone said he can also play as a second striker. He certainly has a knack for scoring so that could be interesting.