Atletico Madrid preparing for summer transfer overhaul

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid are set for a transfer shake up this summer, with the La Liga side preparing for a number of arrivals and departures from the Wanda Metropolitano in the coming weeks.

Diego Simeone will have his work cut out to keep some of his star names, with Los Rojiblancos set to end the season empty handed for another year, and the vultures will be circling over the Spanish capital.

French international Antoine Griezmann has confirmed that he will be remaining with the club, which has put an end to another potential summer of transfer speculation over a move to Barcelona.

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Sleeping giant Bayern Munich are planning for dominance next season

Uli-Hoeness-Bayern-Hand(1)

The season in Germany is of course not over but it has been an awkward one for the giants of the country Bayern Munich.

Usually dominant in the Bundesliga Bayern simply haven’t had it all their own way this season and have had to play second fiddle to Borussia Dortmund for most of it. True as they go into this weekend Bayern are on top, but that’s only on goal difference. Either Dortmund or Bayern will win the league this season and that looks like it will go right down to the wire.

Bayern’s Champions League exit at the hands of Liverpool underlined that the team needs refreshing. Stars such as Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, loyal servants are too old and they will need to be moved on in the summer. Nico Kovac the young Croatian manager has been under intense pressure this season with even Arsene Wenger linked to the job. Truth is Kovac has inherited an aging team who at times haven’t always been hungry for success.

The good news for Bayern is that club President Uli Hoeness has promised that the club will spend big in the summer, and he’s not lying. Indeed Bayern have already splashed the cash with the confirmation of Lucas Hernandez for an incredible £68m. Hernandez will join from Atletico Madrid in July and be ready for next season.

It does appear that Hoeness who has been famous in the past for tightening  the clubs purse strings is putting his mouth where the money is and delivering on his promise and Bayern fans will be excited to hear what he had to say. Hoeness recently said: “If only you knew (the names) we have lined up for next season. We can’t make announcements right now. Everyone here would go mad and we still have goals to reach in the current campaign. We’ve saved. We’re well prepared for the summer. Our director of sport (Hasan Salihamidzic) has it all under control.”

Exciting times look to be around the corner for Bayern who have not won the Champions League since 2013, and since the rebranding took place in 1993 have only won the competition twice despite appearing in numerous finals. But also the current domestic season has not been good enough even if they win it, because just being able to win it is very un Bayern like. Think, for example, PSG winning Ligue 1 on the last day of the season.

Bayern mean business and it will be interesting if they will be able to attract the players they want. With Real Madrid reportedly having a huge spending package this summer it could turn into quite a transfer tussle between the two teams this summer- whoever is selling will benefit.

Lucas Hernandez exit would be disaster for Atletico Madrid

Lucas Hernandez

With everything that he has already achieved in his career, it is easy to forget that Lucas Hernandez  is only a 22-year-old. Perhaps it is because of his physical frame or the fact he is a year older than brother Theo, or maybe it is because he is already an elite defender.

Just ahead of La Liga’s final round of matches before the winter break, Marca broke the news that the French defender had agreed a four-year contract with Bayern Munich. The German champions, the report claimed, had already met his €80m release clause. It is news that threatens to derail Diego Simeone’s project at Los Rojiblancos. Continue reading

Beware of ‘wounded beast’ Atletico Madrid

Simeone

The midweek 4-0 humbling away at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League will have stung Atletico Madrid, and they will be looking to make an immediate La Liga response this weekend.

The defeat was Diego Simeone’s heaviest during his seven year tenure at the club, with Lucien Favre’s exciting young side simply too much in attack for Atletico.

Having stabilised their La Liga form following a inconsistent start to the season, Simeone and his players will be rocked by a result that few saw coming, despite Dortmund’s impressive displays in the Bundesliga this season.

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La Liga Weekend Picks – Round 3

rakiticA great card of matches this past weekend saw the La Liga table almost seem to take shape and hit the status quo fairly early in the campaign. Real Madrid’s 4-1 win at Girona was a great team performance, while a four goal thriller saw Athletic Bilbao draw 2-2 at home to Huesca. After another exciting weekend of action in La Liga, let us now cast our minds ahead and see which players will be getting special attention in the Spanish top flight in the third round of matches. It will be a 4-3-3 this week.

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Lemar “very happy” to join Atletico following Monaco exit

lemarNew Atletico Madrid star Thomas Lemar has vowed to change his style of play if required and said he is “very happy” to have finally sealed his transfer to La Liga. The former Monaco midfielder signed a contract to join Los Colchoneros during this summer’s World Cup in Russia, but the clubs had not formalised the deal until now. Lemar, who was well coveted with interest coming in from across Europe, signed on the dotted line at the same time as international team-mates Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez, who both extended their contracts in Madrid. Speaking at his official unveiling, he said “I’m very happy to be here. Antoine and Lucas have told me lots about the club. I’m very happy with the decision I made. Continue reading

Mandzukic out to repeat heroics against French stars

It’s time for the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France going head-to-head against Croatia. Nicholas Carroll and Chloe Beresford provide their final tournament fantasy picks from the two nations remaining.

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France’s youthful defence defies the doubters

France Uruguay

France secured their place in the World Cup final with a 1-0 semi final win over rivals Belgium, and Didier Deschamps’ now face their third ever final in the competition.

Les Bleus were earmarked as amongst the favourites to win the World Cup before a ball was even kicked in Russia, however a low key group stage performance dampened expectations.

A VAR-assisted win over Australia, followed by an unconvincing win over Peru and a dull 0-0 draw with Denmark saw the French through as Group C leaders.

However from there on they have excelled, putting themselves a clear favourites to now win their first World Cup since their victory on home soil in 1998.

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Raphael Varane is top defender after France beat Uruguay

varane

As France prepare for their World Cup semi-final clash with Belgium on Tuesday evening, all eyes will be on Saint Petersburg as they battle it out for a place in the 2018 World Cup Final. While Belgium will of course be no pushovers the French are likely to be slight favourites going into the game. Both teams have claimed major scalps in this tournament, with France having eliminated Uruguay and Belgium overcame Brazil to get to this stage. The Belgian national team are enjoying a golden age, however, with several world class players among their ranks. Interestingly enough, the last time Belgium got this far in a World Cup tournament was in Mexico in 1986. They lost 2-0 to Argentina in the semi-final – before losing the third place playoff to France.

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La Liga Top Defenders – Lucas Hernandez

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Our series of player profiles on the top performing defenders from La Liga 2017/18 sees us examine Lucas Hernandez, the Atletico Madrid youth system prodigy whose approach to the game is entrenched in the philosophy of the club.

Of strong footballing stock, with his father having played centre back at the likes of Marseille – as well as having had a short stint at Atleti himself – and his younger brother Theo a burgeoning talent at arch rivals Real Madrid, Lucas has arguably arisen to a position as the cream of the crop of a family with a proud pedigree.

Having made his debut in the December of 2014, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 away success over CE L’Hospitalet in the Copa del Rey, the defender has slowly Continue reading