Atlético de Madrid are looking for a goalkeeper in view of Horatiu Moldovan 's imminent departure to Italian football, presumably. The Romanian does not want to be Jan Oblak 's understudy for any longer and, seeing that this is the situation that awaits him, he has decided to speed up his exit from the club. The sporting management is already working on a reliable replacement, which they have been negotiating all summer.
It's an Argentine footballer, Walter Benítez , a 31-year-old goalkeeper who belongs to PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league. The Dutch are asking for almost double what the colchoneros are offering, but the footballer doesn't want to miss out on the train. Gastón Edul reported yesterday: Walter Benítez wants to play for the red-and-white team no matter what and is putting pressure on him.
An unmissable opportunity for Benitez
He understands that it is a unique opportunity for him, at his age, in a league like the Spanish one and in a team with Cholo Simeone . He is aware that he will not have as many minutes as in Holland , but he feels ready to challenge the Slovenian for the position. Walter Benítez has already played in France , with Nice for five seasons, and has been in Eindhoven for two full seasons and the beginning of this one.
Nelson Vivas was the coach of Quilmes Atlético Club , a team where Walter developed his football skills. He grew up in the beer club. He did not play much with Diego Pablo Simeone, who is now the second coach , but he did see him develop as a footballer in the lower divisions of the Buenos Aires club.
He was summoned by Scaloni
Walter Benítez grew so much that he earned his place and played 50 games for the team from the beer brewers. He was transferred to Nice in France , where he played 188 games in five years, earning the respect of French football. Then, he got an important transfer: the call from PSV Eindhoven encouraged him to go to Dutch football.
He has recently been called up to the Argentine national team and is now called up by his country for the South American qualifiers. He is a tall goalkeeper, with great reflexes, and a monster under the goal. He is 1.91 m tall and weighs 91 kilos; he is a very strong and robust goalkeeper, intelligent when passing the ball out.
Jan Oblak is somewhat discussed
The red-and-whites want him to compete head-to-head with Jan Oblak, the Slovenian is showing signs of exhaustion. He has been seen lately, as well as being very tired, somewhat overwhelmed and in need of rest. It is possible that he may even have relapsed from an old physical problem, something that Atlético de Madrid does not want to confirm publicly.
The club is working hard to try to put together a very competitive and exciting squad. Yesterday's presentation gave proof of this: people are behind the team after a somewhat tense summer. Atlético de Madrid is preparing for its home league debut against Girona on Sunday 25th at 21:30.