With the Copa América semi-finals beckoning, the pending official announcement of the arrival of Colombian striker Jackson Martínez to La Liga nears and shows the intent of Atlético Madrid for the upcoming season as they look to cement their place among Europe’s elite.
The no so quiet news of Mario Mandžukić departing for Juventus was finally finalised this week as the Croatian moved to Turin on a four-year contract for a reported €19 million. Yet having left after only one season in Madrid, Mandžukić must not be seen as a failure, with a respective 20 goals in all competitions in his first season in a new league, new manager and new language, the Croatian lived up to his image of hard-working and proven goal scorer.
His decision to play through the Champions League fixture against Olympiakos with a broken nose and scoring with a thumping header shows the character of Mandžukić, that exact same reason that made Diego Simeone bring him to the Vicente Calderón.
The famous 4-0 victory against local rivals Real Madrid brings to mind the type of forward he is. His performance will live long in the memory of Los Rojiblancos faithful. Terrorising the Real Madrid backline, Mandžukić was unplayable. His ability to hold-up play and open others, notably Antoine Griezmann, was the catalyst to their biggest win over their rivals. Scoring the fourth goal was nothing but well deserved for the fiery Croatian.
Yet, while Mandžukić contributed on his behalf and succeeded in his role, because of the team suffering as a whole to accommodate for him, the decision to part ways just 11 months from arriving was a must. It was no surprise to see Simeone prefer to link up Fernando Torres with club lead goal scorer Griezmann, as Torres brought a faster tempo to the team.
The issue with Mandžukić was that he was not a like-for-like replacement for the departed Brazilian turn Spaniard Diego Costa. While both are natural goal scorers, tough physical threats and fiery characters who like to wind up opposition, Mandžukić’s lack of pace deeply hurt the way Atléti like to play, pressing hard and playing on the counter. While it is a surprise to see such a quality player leave after a respectful year, the replacement in the form of Colombian and FC Porto striker Jackson Martínez looks to be the striker best suit for Atléti and the player they have been looking for since Costa departed.
“I want to see a team that is strong, committed and quick on the break. These are things which Atletico fans have always liked, it helps them identify with and love this shirt”, Simeone stated four years ago at his appointment as Atléti manager.
Martínez, 28, fits the bill and more importantly is in his prime. With the other pending arrival of exciting youngster striker, Luciano Vietto, seen as a long term player with plenty of time for development, Martínez comes into the team as a proven striker. 92 goals in 132 appearances for Porto has seen the Colombian linked to a number of elite clubs over the years, notably Arsenal and more recently AC Milan. His two goals, both home and away against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals in last season’s Champions League show the ability and characteristics to succeed as Atléti’s main striker.
Martínez, currently representing Colombia at the Copa America who clash on Saturday with South American heavyweights Argentina in the Quarter-final, has expressed his excitement of the prospect of joining the 2013-14 La Liga winners through his agent Luiz Henrique Pompeo.
“It’s a very big club, which has done important things in the league and in Europe,” Pompeo said.
“Jackson is going there to also achieve great things and to bring the best out of himself to become even better. That is his dream and he’s very excited”.
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Power, skill, speed and more importantly adaptable to Simeone’s preferred pressing game demanded for his forward players, Martínez looks to be the striker initially Simeone would of preferred to replace Costa, however, he does not come cheaply. A reported €35 million agreed by the two clubs is a significant increase to the €22 million payed for Mandžukić 11 months ago.
With Mandžukić style of play and return of 20 goals in all competitions not quite what Simeone wanted, the Colombian has a big task ahead of him to impress both the manager and Los Rojiblancos faithful. Yet if the performances and devastating strike rate continues at the Vicente Calderón, much like previous Porto forward Radamel Falcao, Atléti would look to have one of the most lethal forward lines in Europe next season.
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“Would of”???
“Payed”???
Grammar and spell check, please.
Otherwise, a great article.