In the space of one week, Atlético Madrid have announced three official confirmations of young and exciting new players as the club embarks on a new direction, having continued to suffer key departures in consecutive seasons for the past few years.
Since Diego Simeone’s appointment back in December 2011, Atléti has seen the likes of star players such as Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa, David Villa, Diego, Filipe Luís, Thibaut Courtois and the more recently Mario Mandžukić, João Miranda and Arda Turan all depart after contributing to the development and success the Club has received under the Argentinean.
With each season gone by, supporters had initially worried how Simeone and the Rojiblancos would be able to replace world class players, yet time after time the suggestions of declining or struggling were defied and instead they flourished. However, while this off-season is quite different, it looks to be more successful than ever.
The inevitable task clubs commonly face is projecting quality youth into an aging squad. Just as predominantly relying on a senior and aging team having significant problems, focusing on implementing youth too early has its own initial consequences that come from inexperience. The collapse of an aging Inter Milan in 2010-11 and Paul Lambert’s reign with Aston Villa, notably the 2012-13 season, fielding one of the youngest Premier League sides, are a good recent example that best show the need for a proper balance.
Yet, Simeone has been able to get the best from his youth players over the years, perfectly blending experienced senior players along with youngsters such as Koke, Saúl Ñíguez, José Giménez and Jan Oblak, who all have recently succeeded expectations and smoothly transitioned into having a major role in the team. This offseason has seen Simeone look to start a new chapter for Atléti, new signings Ángel Correa, Luciano Vietto and today’s announcement of Monaco’s Yannick Carrasco showing the intent for the future.
“We are very satisfied with the agreement reached with Monaco, because Yannick is a player with huge prospects and with an incredible future. He is a player with great speed, excellent at driving the ball and with a great shot. He will contribute perfectly to our goal of increasing the level of our team and the competitiveness of the group. I am convinced that he will contribute plenty,” Sporting Director José Luis Pérez Caminero announced.
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Carrasco, 21, is seen as the ideal replacement for the Turkish winger, Turan, who departed earlier this week to Barcelona for €41 million. The Belgian’s signing is suggested to be around €20 million from the French based Club, coming on a five year contract. With the sale of Turan still profiting Atléti around €20 million, Simeone still has the financial resources to seek a return for former left back Luís, again showing the correct balance of fielding a perfect mixture of youth and senior players.
Correa signed for Simeone’s side back in May 2014 also on a five year contract, however, due to a heart tumour, he has yet to feature in the first team. His performances at the 2015 Under-20 FIFA World Cup held in New Zealand, showed the quality and potential Correa contains, having scored two superb goals in the opening of the tournament. Atléti understand the talent and potential in the youngster and have supported him during the tough few months of his life, and hope of another successful Argentine at the club in the near future.
“Correa played for months the most important game of his life, and he won it. At age 20 he has shown signs of maturity and is an example of perseverance. All the Atléticos have a great affection for him and we must praise his behaviour. He never bowed his head or gave up, he faced life with an exemplary optimism and worked every minute of the day to return to the field to dazzle fans again with his undeniable talent and quality,” stated by Chairman Enrique Cerezo in Correa’s official introduction yesterday.
Then comes fellow countryman, Luciano Vietto. A much praised player from Simeone, who having previously managed the talented youngster earlier in his career at Racing Club, was seen as a perfect long term partner for Antonine Griezmann. With expected confirmation in the upcoming days of Colombian striker Jackson Martínez from FC Porto, Vietto best represents the future as along with experienced Fernando Torres among the squad, represents the deadly strikeforce Simeone is building.
“Luciano Vietto comes to the team to strengthen it and increase the competitiveness in the forward line, a position in which we have players of proven quality and young talent with great prospects,” Cerezo pointed out during Vietto’s presentation.
The new additions and the current squad show that Simeone has one eye on the present and one eye for the future, looking to prepare for the potential future departures and/or retirement of senior players such as Gabi, Torres and Tiago. An outlook that will hopefully continue the long term progress of the club, long after Simeone departs.
With the recent and exciting additions along with exceptionally talented 20-year-old Óliver Torres back in Madrid from his loan deal with FC Porto concluded, the emergence and impressive progress of Saúl, Giménez and Oblak during last season, and star players Koke and Griezmann still at the young age of 23 and 24 respectively, Simeone is building a team for the long term future. A future that looks to be an exciting new chapter for Los Rojiblancos.
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