Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is confident that Julian Alvarez will easily adapt to his new club because he has Los Rojiblacos DNA.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Argentine striker was brought in from English Premier League club Manchester City with a transfer value of 95 million euros.
Simeone said Alvarez could be available for the LaLiga opener at Villaral on Monday local time or Tuesday (20/8) early morning IST.
“Julian (Alvarez) is a player we have been waiting for and will make us better. It’s all so sudden, so fast. He just arrived a short time ago, has trained for four days but has adapted quickly,” Simone said in a pre-match press conference as reported by beIN Sports on Sunday.
“I see him with great enthusiasm, knowing where he comes from and where he is going. His characteristics fit the Atleti DNA,” added the Argentine coach.
Atletico have spent more than 150 million euros ($180 million) to bring in Alvarez, Spain’s Euro 2024-winning defender Robin Le Normand and last season’s LaLiga top scorer Alexander Sorloth.
Currently, they are reportedly still in negotiations to recruit Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.
However, Simeone believes his team still needs additional ammunition to compete with Real Madrid who won the Champions League and LaLiga last season. Carlo Ancelotti’s team also recently secured France captain Kylian Mbappe.
“Real Madrid started the season as the best team and have to prove it with the great players they have while the rest of us will be behind to compete with them,” said Simeone.
“We haven’t finished forming the squad yet, we need to focus on tomorrow’s game and see game by game how the team progresses.”
“Barcelona continue to have a very good team, Real continue to improve with phenomenal players, but it is clear to me that we have to think about ourselves,” he added.
Last season, Atletico Madrid finished fourth in the Spanish League standings with 76 points, or 19 points behind champions Real Madrid. The two teams above them, Barcelona with 85 points and Girona with 81 points.