Yesterday, Cholo Simeone said it in a press conference: "the squad is complete." A clear and resounding statement that cut off the supposed interest of Atlético de Madrid in Bennacer, Amrabat or Matheus Nunes. As he would say, these are the ones who are and they are the ones who are here, but perhaps the exit section is not complete.
The transfer market closed yesterday in Spain at 23:59, however there are countries where it still doesn't end until a few days from now. So, would it be possible that we could still see some more exits?
Portugal, Saudi Arabia or the Netherlands: on the lookout
The absence , once again, of Thomas Lemar in the Atlético de Madrid squad for Bilbao is further evidence that they want to get rid of the French player. He was a very expensive signing for the club, considering the poor performance they have been able to get out of him and his departure would free up space for possible signings in future markets.
The problem with trying to get rid of any first-team player is that you have to replace him with one from the reserve team or from the free market . In the worst case scenario, you would be stuck with a short squad until the next transfer window when you can look for a new addition.
In Portugal, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, whose transfer markets close on 2 September, there are currently opportunities to make signings more easily. All this is due to the combination of the need for teams to find an exit for some players and the lack of competition in the closed transfer markets of the most important leagues.
Another player who could be the target of a move to one of these markets where they are still open is Javi Galán . However, it seems that in this case the club will give him another chance to make amends and be another option for Cholo Simeone.
An outstanding market
Pending what happens with Thomas Lemar , who is expected to wear the red and white shirt until the winter transfer market, it is time to take stock. Atlético de Madrid faced a transfer market with many situations to resolve and they have emerged victorious from almost all of them.
The departure of João Félix for a fee close to what the club had agreed upon is the great triumph, along with the arrival of 'the Spider' Julián Álvarez . Not only because of the attacker who arrives, but because the end of Antoine Griezmann is closer to coming and the Argentine is a candidate as a reliable substitute.
Álvaro Morata has left and his replacement could become Atlético de Madrid's striker for the next five years. Now it's up to Alexander Sørloth to achieve the consistency that will establish him among the best strikers in Europe.
In defence , there have been the most changes. Stefan Savić, Mario Hermoso and Gabriel Paulista left to make way for the defensive stalwart who was a European champion with Spain, Robin Le Normand. Alongside him, Atleti signed Clément Lenglet, perhaps the riskiest bet considering his performance in recent years.
In the middle of the field, it is perhaps the position in which he is most lacking, since there are only four central midfielders as such. Although, we already know that Simeone in these cases invents midfielders and central midfielders where there are none to rotate.
The signing of Conor Gallagher could be a breath of fresh air for a key position in any team. Not only because of his characteristics as a player, but also because of the increase in internal competition that Atlético needs for players like Rodrigo De Paul to give their best.
In conclusion, we could say that it is an outstanding market, since very few things have been left undone. One of them would be to find a reliable replacement for Jan Oblak , both in terms of age and performance, although we will see how Juan Musso performs there.
Another option would have been to find a place for Thomas Lemar in another club and strengthen the defense and midfield with