Raul de Tomas. Atlético is looking for ‘9’ and the Espanyol striker is on their list. The interest is not new, but the departure of Luis Suárez has opened a casting call at Atlético in search of a guaranteed centre-forward. And RdT is. 27 years old who will be 28 in October and an instinct in the small area that only the ‘9’ have when goals fall out of their pockets, just moving: 17 (Atom of LaLiga, second pichichi behind Benzema, 27, and tied with Vinicius and Iago Aspas) this season 21-22, plus three assists. Some numbers that from the Metropolitano are written down in an orphan notebook with the goodbye of the charrúa. None of their forwards reached those numbers this season. Not even Suárez himself (13, tied with Correa), far from Griezmann’s figures in his return (8, three in the League alone).
Morata will mark the steps. Teammate of Raúl de Tomás at the moment, in the four games that Luis Enrique’s team now has in June, of the Nations League, he returns to Atleti after Juve did not exercise the 35 million purchase option. His future marks everything in the red and white tip. That casting of the ‘9’ to replace Luis Suárez. Atlético, despite having Cunha, who will assume more stripes and importance, to the extent of his performance this season on the pitch, Griezmann and João Félix, need a center forward with ease to see the goal as De Tomás has proven to be.
Darwin, Lautaro… And RdT
With a contract at Espanyol, where he is a key player, until 2026, the board does not put him on the market, but his statements do. “There are possibilities of everything”, stated the other day. To continue, to leave. His clause is 75 million, his salary is around six net. The summer is long and his name is there, in the roles of Cholo Simeone, Andrea Berta and Miguel Ángel Gil to prop up an Atlético that seeks to leave behind the irregularities of the season in which it sought to be champion again and they were third, with many shadows in the throat. And above all the lack of a ‘9’ that would make the difference: never in Cholo’s ten years, a striker was below 15 goals. At the moment there is nothing, contacts, offers, negotiations, but once these four Nations League games are over and July arrives, everything can be accelerated. Atlético needs that. A reference striker. There several names to make Suárez. Darwin Núñez, Lautaro… and RdT.