It was not a spectacular season on the attacking front for Atletico Madrid. Atletico have become famous for their defensive solidity rather than their attacking flair under Diego Simeone; however, this season proved that they lack a world-class striker in their side.
The likes of Diego Costa and Mario Mandzukic have departed in last three seasons, and it’s very evident that Atletico haven’t managed to replace them. Last summer, Atletico signed Kevin Gameiro from Sevilla in a deal worth €32 million. The French striker contributed with some vital goals but didn’t really lit up the TV screens in his first season with the Madrid club.
Atletico sold the likes of Borja Baston and Leo Baptistao during summer and also sent Luciano Vietto on a season-long loan deal to Sevilla.
Overall, Atletico managed to score 70 league goals during the domestic season which put them far behind top-two Real Madrid and Barcelona with 106 and 116 goals respectively.
Let’s take a look at how Atletico strikers during the 2016-17 La Liga season:
Antoine Griezmann continued to lead the goal scoring charts for Atletico and finished the season with 16 goals in 36 appearances. Besides his goals, he also provided eight valuable assists during the season. The 26-year-old, who was the most expensive Atletico player in EuroFantasyLeague at 13m, collected a total of 73 points for a P/P score of 5.8. Griezmann was expected to leave Atletico this summer, but owing to the transfer ban on the club, he has signed a new long-term contract with them.
Kevin Gameiro arrived with lofty expectations at the club. However, the 30-year-old is yet to convince that he can regularly lead the attack of a title-challenging side. Gameiro scored 12 goals in 31 appearances, of which only 21 came as starts. The 6.5m striker also picked up five assists to put together a point total of 60. Due to Gameiro’s low price-tag in the market, his P/P score reads a decent value of 9.8.
Fernando Torres completed yet another season at his boyhood club, and it appears that he would extend his stay for one more season. During 2016-17, the 33-year-old made 31 starts, including just 13 starts. His contributions included eight goals and five assists for a total of 37 points. The former Spain international, who was also available for 6.5m, finished the season with a P/P score of 6.9.
Roberto, who was available for 4m in EuroFantasyLeague, failed to make a league appearance for Diego Simeone’s side.
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