Koke and Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann and Koke get their big signing back: 'We need a good...'

The Frenchman and the captain await the recovery of their teammate with whom they have an excellent relationship.

Atlético de Madrid will host Valencia this Sunday at the Cívitas Metropolitano , and for this match they could have a signing if Simeone decides so. Thomas Lemar is getting better and better and ready to be part of the Atlético de Madrid squad again. The French footballer is about to complete a year since his injury, precisely against Valencia CF.

In three days it will be the anniversary of his injury, and, unless he plays against Rubén Baraja 's team , it will be a year since his tragic fall at Mestalla . Physically he is getting better and better; he is slowly recovering from his worst sporting moment. For Diego Pablo Simeone , the French footballer is still indispensable and he knows that, if he is well, he can count on him, but the club cannot.

Thomas Benoit Lemar
Thomas Lemar wants to play again | Europa Press

There is a run of seven games in a row before the break, in which the coach would like to count on the Frenchman for one of them, something that Antoine Griezmann hopes for. His compatriot is one of his best partners and helped the club to sign him. "We need a good last pass, he will bring us that," said the Maçon native when they signed Thomas Lemar .

I landed at the club in 2018

They know each other from the French national team - they were world champions together in 2018 - and Thomas Lemar is one of their great friends in the dressing room. Along with Koke , Clément Lenglet and Rodrigo de Paul , Lemar and Grizi have a very close relationship. It has been his compatriot who has most insisted on patience with the Guadeloupe native, although he has only done so internally and as a suggestion to Simeone .

Captain Koke is another of the Frenchman's great friends in the dressing room, one of the players who has shared the most minutes with him on the pitch. The Vallecano hopes that his teammate will be ready after the break, especially after the loss of Pablo Barrios . He is one of those who needs the most help in the centre of the field, only Rodrigo de Paul and Conor Gallagher would be available.

Türkiye a 'nearly closed' route

The transfer market closes today in Turkey , and although the Frenchman is not expected to leave, there are teams that have asked about his situation. He has been ruled out by the player himself, who does not see the possibility of leaving clearly, and even less so to uncompetitive leagues. Now his main concern is to recover physically and be available as soon as possible for Diego Pablo Simeone , the Frenchman wants to be there against Valencia .

In recent weeks he has been seen training separately, Diego Simeone is clear that a player like him must have a special plan. Added to the fact that he is not counted on by many at the club, his heavy salary is a burden, and not only because of his physical problems. The idea is that he can leave in winter, although everything will depend on how he is seen this week, at most he would be playing for a month.