With some players having to leave the team, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone had the opportunity to rebuild his team during the summer. It was indeed Los Rojiblancos’ plan to shorten the squad. But never did they want it to be at the expense of the team’s quality. A lot of online casino gamblers are looking for good markets to wager on at Slotozilla website India as Atleti heads to the 24/25 season.
There is a new surge of energy in the dressing room after a couple of new changes. But while Atleti’s latest arrivals are truly impressive, it doesn’t feel like the club is fully prepared for the long season ahead. Some positions still appear to be ‘weak’ and ‘vulnerable’, and we have pointed them all out in this Article. Read on.
Departures
After a tough 23/24 league campaign, Atletico Madrid has had to part ways with some significant players. Let’s look at some of these stars.
Alvaro Morata
The Spanish striker signed a four-year contract with AC Milan after he left Atletico Madrid. The two teams were secretive about the deal’s exact amount. However, media sources claimed that the Italian side activated the contract’s release clause that’s worth about €13 million. The 31-year-old netted 58 goals in 154 games for Atletico after joining the team in 2019 for an amount rumoured to be around €65 million. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid player is now looking forward to his new life with the Rossoneri. Remember that he led Spain to victory in the European Championship last month, an achievement that will forever be in his memory.
Memphis Depay
After failing to leave his mark at Barcelona, Depay signed a €4 million contract to join Atleti in January last year. Nevertheless, the Netherlands international, who was included in Ronald Koeman’s Euro 2024 squad, left the team a full year ahead of schedule. He was unable to bench in-form Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata. But despite making only twelve starts, Depay scored nine goals in 31 league games during his spell with Simeone’s team.
Joao Felix
Chelsea secured the re-signing of Felix. The player spent the second half of the 2022–2023 season on loan at Stamford Bridge before heading to Barcelona for another spell. The talented forward strongly desired a return to Chelsea, where he played in 20 games across all competitions and scored four goals.
Samu Omorodion
Samu Omorodion’s surprisingly joined Porto late in the transfer window. He had been set to sign for Chelsea, but a breakdown in the 11th hour saw the move cancelled – the Premier League side ended up acquiring Felix instead.
Other players who are no longer on Atleti’s squad list include:
- Stefan Savic
- Çağlar Söyüncü
- Gabriel Paulista
- Saúl Ñíguez
- Mario Hermoso and
- Vitolo
Signings
Atleti were not sitting down idle during the summer – they got the signatures of some impressive talents.
Julian Alvarez
Alvarez left Pep Guardiola’s Manchester team to join Diego Simeone’s Madrid side on a six-year deal. Within the two-and-a-half years spent in Manchester, the 24-year-old striker clinched six titles and scored 36 times across 103 matches.
While at City, Alvarez also played an important role in Argentina’s success at the 2022 World Cup, where he scored four goals. His two goals in their recent Copa America trophy-winning campaign equally made a lot of difference.
Now, the €95 million transfer fee has set a new record for City that actually signed him from River Plate in 2022 for just €16.4 million.
Alexander Sørloth
After Memphis Depay was released and captain Alvaro Morata moved to AC Milan last month, Atletico Madrid found themselves in need of a new striker. Earlier this month, they signed a four-year contract with Alexander Sørloth to fill a part of this void. The 28-year-old Norway International was second in the league’s scoring standings last season when he played for rival Villarreal. He netted 26 goals for them in all competitions, 23 of which were in La Liga. Diego Simeone’s team may try to leverage Sorloth’s aerial abilities. He scored seven headers in La Liga last season, more than any other player.
Robin Le Normand
Another important deal Atletico Madrid made was to sign Robin Le Normand from Real Sociedad on a five-year contract. Le Normand is regarded as one of the best centre defenders in La Liga and majorly contributed to Spain’s victory in Euro 2024. His physical strength, excellent ball handling, and explosive defensive ability, will be of great help to Diego Simeone’s team.
Conor Gallagher
Gallagher was a player that Atletico pursued all summer. He was a target pre-Euro 2024, and after the sale of Felix to Chelsea was closed, the England midfielder could finally go in the opposite direction.
Key Areas Atletico Madrid Needs to Focus on
Atleti may be home to multiple talents, but the team is far from perfect. A few units are still vulnerable and could deter their title run this coming season. Let’s look at some of the positions the club has to work on in future transfer windows.
Central Defence
Since the position’s depth has been a problem for a while, the club’s intention to reinforce its defence is, in fact, the main concern shared by all Atletico supporters. Simeone often had to use Marcos Llorente or Saul Niguez as wing-backs or defenders. And now that key members of Atletico’s central defence, like Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic, Caglar Söyüncü, and Gabriel Paulista, have left the team, the Spanish team’s backline is slowly weakening. Robin Le Normand, former Real Sociedad’s veteran at defence, and Clement Lenglet were recently recruited to Los Rojiblancos. But supporters are still hoping for more quality additions for their team’s defensive unit.
Defensive Midfield
While the team’s Captain Koke, Conor Gallagher and Pablo Barrios are versatile enough to play as defensive midfielders, the department needs solid reinforcement. The club is not oblivious to this. Atletico have considered ex-Chelsea star N’Golo Kante in the past as an option to strengthen their midfield.
What to Expect From Atletico Madrid This Upcoming Season
Betting on Alexander Sørloth or Julian Alvarez to win the Golden Boot could have been less risky without Kylian Mbappé as a competition. Regardless, Atletico Madrid will still be a menace to many Spanish teams this season. So, there are several other options you could gamble on like futures, totals, double chance, correct score, props bets, and so on.
Chances of Atletico Madrid Winning La Liga Upcoming Season
The club, led by Diego Simeone, has made significant investments in Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sørloth, and Julian Álvarez. Conor Gallagher is another player they are close to signing. But it doesn’t seem like these additions will be enough to help Atlético clinch their third league title under Simeone.
Considering Real Madrid’s star-studded squad for this season and the generational talents Barcelona displays, the chance of Los Rojiblancos finishing top is very little. Although they still have a good chance at making the second place, Simone’s men will likely finish third and earn a spot in the 25/26 UCL campaign again.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Atletico Madrid made some strong signings this summer, there are still key areas that require reinforcement. The departures of several players have left vulnerabilities in central defence and defensive midfield, which will need addressing if Atletico aims to compete at the highest level in both La Liga and the Champions League. Although new arrivals like Julian Alvarez and Robin Le Normand bring quality, the team may still fall short of winning the league title against formidable rivals like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Strengthening these weak spots is crucial for a successful campaign ahead.
By Alejandro Fernandez
