DIEGO SIMEONE has gained plaudits galore down the years for the remarkable job that he has done at Atletico Madrid.
Under the Argentine’s watch the club have won a La Liga title and two Europa Leagues – as well as twice upsetting the odds to reach the Champions League final.
Atletico’s current attacking flops haven’t been producing the goods
When the 49-year-old took over the club was on its knees.
But he swiftly built them from plucky underdogs to a genuine European powerhouse.
Simeone now, however, could be about to become a victim of his own success.
Atleti have struggled to rebuild their side since losing title-winners including Gabi, Diego Godin and Tiago – with subsequent signing Antoine Griezmann having also left for pastures new.
The club currently lie in sixth, a whopping 13 points behind neighbours Real Madrid in top spot.
And murmurs that Simeone could leave at the end of the season have begun to grow louder, with Mauricio Pochettino having been linked with the post.
A big part of the problem has been the poor reinvestment in the squad.
SunSport takes a look at four of their worst recent attacking signings.
1. Diego Costa
Atleti were thrilled to bring the hero of the 2013-14 title winning campaign – in which he bagged 27 goals in 35 LaLiga matches – back to Madrid.
Costa, 31, was also a heroic figure for a while at Chelsea, but threw a tantrum in order to force his way out at Stamford Bridge, refusing to report to training in the first half of the 2017-18 season.
The Spain striker eventually got his way, but Atletico should have seen the warning signs. Since returning he has only scored 14 goals in 59 games… hardly worth the eyewatering £67million fee.
Diego Costa has failed to conjure up his old magic in his second Atletico spellCredit: Reuters
2. Thomas Lemar
Signing the French World Cup winner for £63m from Monaco in 2018 was seen a major coup for Atletico, but it has not gone to plan.
Having dazzled for the Ligue 1 side both domestically and in the Champions League, splashing out on the then-22-year-old appeared to be a no-brainer.
Now 24, he has spectacularly failed to deliver, however, failing to score or assist a single goal this season.
3. Joao Felix
Joao Felix, 20, is seen as one the most gifted attackers in Europe and was courted by virtually all of Europe’s elite last summer.
But with the cash received from Barcelona for Antoine Griezmann burning a hole in their pockets, Atleti put their money were mouth is and splashed out an incredible £113m on the Benfica starlet.
It hasn’t quite clicked yet, however, with a frustrated Felix having scored just twice in 17 LaLiga outings.
4. Vitolo
The forgettable Vitolo has struggled to make an impact at the Wanda Metropolitano – making it hard to believe that his form at Sevilla convinced them to fork out his £33m release clause back in 2017.
The move came amid Atleti’s transfer ban, meaning that he had to be loaned to Las Palmas until January 2018.
His productivity already began to dip significantly in that spell and he has gone on to score only SIX times in 73 Atletico appearances since.
Vitolo has rarely looked a goal threat in red and whiteCredit: Getty Images – Getty
5. Nikola Kalinic
Best known on these shores for his somewhat forgettable spell at Blackburn Rovers, Croat Nikola Kalinic went on to do reasonably well at Dnipro and Fiorentina after leaving Ewood Park.
Well enough, at any rate, for Atletico to take a £13.5m punt on him back in 2018.
After four goals in 24 games, the 32-year-old was sent packing though, and can currently be occasionally seen playing for Roma while on loan back in Serie A.
Atletico want Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette and will offer Thomas Lemar to land him
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
