Arda Turan’s departure from Atlético Madrid has been confirmed, with the player moving to FC Barcelona for a reported €34 million plus €7 million in variables.
Most Atléti fans were rocked by the news of Turan’s intentions to seek a new challenge and depart Madrid. Interest in the tricky winger looked to be from European clubs outside of Spain, notably from Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain and recent big spenders AC Milan and Inter.
“Our decision really surprised Atlético Madrid,” Turan’s agent, Ahmet Bulut, stated.
“They don’t want Arda to leave and were persistent but in the end, they respected and accepted our decision. But of course, nothing is completely done until he signs. However, we made sure the message was clear that we wanted to leave Atlético.”
Premier League champion Chelsea seemed the most interested party as rumours suggested José Mourinho was looking to offload Juan Cuadrado due to his struggle to adapt to life in the Premier League. Turan himself looked destined to follow in the footsteps of Diego Costa and Filipe Luís and move to the English capital, a prospect which was further stipulated by Turan’s agent.
“His intention is to leave Spain this summer. His will is to leave and to play in the Premier League that is the path he would like to take to continue his career,” Bulut said.
However, it appears Turan has made a u-turn to on his initial desire of seeking a new challenge abroad in the Premier League in favour of moving to recent La Liga and Champions League winner FC Barcelona and remain in Spain, further shocking Los Rojiblancos faithful.
Only time will tell whether Turan’s decision will be accepted by Atléti fans, but Los Rojiblancos faithful should instead be excited for the future and have faith in manager Diego Simeone.
Turan, 24 at the time, joined Atléti from Galatasaray in 2011 for €12 million. His departure for a significant sum of up to €41 million for a now 28-year-old could be a massive coup for the Madrid club. Turan still has some good years left, but he started to show inabilities to compete with the tough and physical demands of playing for Simeone at times.
His niggling injuries toward to end of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons show his inability to continue to perform to the demands of Simeone for a full season. His presence in the 2013-14 Champions League final was highly missed as Atléti was only three minutes away from lifting the prized trophy.
Yet even Turan’s performances in the 2014-15 season were far from the successful standards of the season prior that saw the Turkish international rewarded with a place in the UEFA Team of the Year. Turan lacked the threat that previous seasons had seen. With only three goals and six assists in 42 appearances in all competitions, perhaps now was the best time to separate and move on from one another.
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Atléti fans may well have already seen the best of the winger and with Barca’s transfer embargo not allowing Turan to compete in La Liga until January, Atléti may only have to face its former player once next season. By the time Turan is able to feature for the whole season for Barca, he will be approaching 30. Not to mention the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez all ahead of him in the pecking order, Turan may have to settle for a place on the bench initially, and at best as part of a rotating squad for Barca’s lengthy upcoming season that includes the FIFA Club World Cup.
Another factor Atléti fans will be happy to see the back of is the fiery and unpredictable nature Turan brings. The infamous incident in which Turan threw his boot at an official gives a good example of a moment of madness that Turan has so often shown. In high-stake matches, the attacker has shown to be a liability with his temper and has resulted in fines, suspensions and send-offs that have greatly punished the Madrid club. Simeone now has the chance to find a player with stronger mindset and composure, something Atléti has sorely missed.
Atlético chalked up a profit of €30 million, so there is not only plenty of time for Simeone to find a younger and perhaps potentially better player for the upcoming season but also plenty of funds if needed. Jackson Martínez’s pending arrival from FC Porto could see fellow fresh face Luciano Vietto commence his first season with Atléti playing on the wing to accommodate for the departure of Turan. The 21-year-old’s contribution to Villarreal’s season saw him net a return of 18 goals and six assists in 46 appearances.
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The Argentinian’s ability to play on the wing if necessary may be vital for the upcoming season if Simeone decides to invest in a young prodigy for the future rather than a direct replacement for Turan. The large fee from the sale of the Turk gives Simeone plenty of options on strengthening Atléti in different areas.
The burden on Koke to create opportunities and Antoine Griezmann to constantly score goals was a huge problem during the 2014-15 season which needed to be addressed by Simeone. By purchasing strikers Martínez and Vietto, Simeone has already looked for other goalscorers to ease the pressure on the Frenchman. However with the money from the sale of Turan and Joao Miranda, Simeone has the opportunity to recruit a top midfielder to help Koke as well as make a play for the return for left-back Felipe Luís.
Turan will be remembered for all the good he did for Los Rojiblancos, but unlike recent departures such as those of Costa, Luís and Thibaut Courtois, his exit should not be seen as a blow to the progress of Simeone’s side. The upcoming season is beginning to hold a great deal of excitement for Atléti.
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