Five Atlético players, free to sign with another club

Atlético starts the winter market waiting for events. The rojiblanco club remains attentive to strengthen its defense, where the problems have multiplied in this first half of the season, with injuries as the great enemy. This has led to the obligation to convert Llorente, Kondogbia and Vrsaljko to unnatural positions to cover the absences of Giménez, Savic and Trippier.

Since the arrival of Simeone to the rojiblanco bench a decade ago, Atlético has always been reinforced in January to try to cover the deficiencies that have been detected at the beginning of the course. Every year except in 2017, where a FIFA sanction prevented the registration of players. But, at this time, so that incorporations can arrive exits would have to take place, with Trippier and Herrera setting the agenda.

However, in addition to this winter market, the club’s movements in this January will also have to be analyzed more in the long term. Five of the 22 footballers of the first team finish their contract on June 30, 2022, so, from today, January 1, they are free to negotiate and sign with any other club for the next season. What’s more, Lecomte is on loan from Monaco (It could debut as rojiblanco next day 6 in Copa) and Griezmann for Barcelona, although the situation of the forward is very different, since all the parties only contemplate that he continues as rojiblanco in the future.

End of contract

Luis Suárez, Felipe, Héctor Herrera, Vrsaljko and Saponjic face their last six months at the club… except renewal. Their role and relevance in the team is very different in each case and it must be taken into account that the Uruguayan, the Brazilian and the Mexican are the three oldest players in the squad. Suárez arrived last summer repudiated by Barcelona and convinced that he could show that he was still up for great deeds. And it ended up becoming the great scorer of the league champion team. A total of 21 goals with a vital importance to add 21 points. The definitive ones, in the comebacks against Osasuna and Valladolid in the last two days that served to lift the title.

Suárez signed a two-year contract and this campaign is having a harder time being decisive. Although he continues as the team’s top scorer with eight goals (seven in the League and one in the Champions League), the feelings are not the same. This January he turns 35 and the parties must analyze if his rojiblanco stage ends this summer. Felipe for his part has seen how injuries in the center of the rear opened the doors of ownership, although with a better level in the rival area (he adds two goals) than in his own area. In May he will be 33 years old and his role at Atlético has gone from more to less, but the fragility and lack of personnel in the position can facilitate continuity. The club has contacted to find out their willingness to continue and analyze the role it would have in an Athletic future.

Herrera could leave this January. He is the player number 20 in minutes (322 ‘) and it is barely counting for Simeone, despite the fact that Kondogbia has had to leave the center of the field to be used as a center-back. De Paul has become strong in the middle and the Mexican, who turns 32 in April, is on the agenda of clubs like Roma. The question is whether to leave in January, which would facilitate the incorporation of another player, or fully fulfill his contract. At Atlético he already arrived in 2019 as a free agent (which gave him a higher salary) and last season he did the job when he had to perform in the engine room.

Vrsaljko’s stage at Atlético has been difficult. He signed in the summer of 2016 and after two interesting first seasons, fighting for minutes with Juanfran, he suffered a very serious knee injury on his loan to Inter and returned to the club to have sporadic appearances. Although gestures like dispute almost 60 minutes of the key game in Porto with a fractured face and out of place they lead to their behavior being flawless. This January 10 turns 30 and the possible departure of Trippier this same winter market means that this course could end up being important.

Not like Saponjic, who has never counted for Simeone and, if he decides not to go out in January, he will spend two and a half years at Atlético practically blank. The Serbian striker played half last season on loan to Cádiz and on his return to the rojiblanco team he has not played a minute. A muscular injury separated him during the last games, but already in the preseason, with the absence of all the forwards of the first team, Cholo opted for the quarry before him. Since arriving in the summer of 2019, he has participated in five games, a total of 111 minutes in two years.

Thus, Atlético sees how a high percentage of its staff have the end of their contractual relationship in the next six months. It can serve as a method to rejuvenate the team, waiting to know if any of the five players who can already sign with another club end up renewing for one more season as rojiblancos.