DIEGO SIMEONE has alerted Premier League clubs after hinting he could leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season.
Simeone dropped the bombshell after his side crashed out of the Copa del Rey in shambolic fashion to minnows Cornella 1-0 on Wednesday.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Copa del Rey to third-tier opponents CornellaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
It is the second season in a row Atletico went out to a third-tier outfit in the cup – and Simeone admitted he might not be around next year to improve the club’s recent wretched record in the competition.
He said: “[Cornella] played better. In the whole game, what they wanted was always done better than what we wanted.
“They took advantage of the set-piece situations and immediately found the goal.
“The boys tried to compete in the best way. In the first half, we had more chances, and in the second, it was rockier. It got difficult after the red card.
“This competition has not given us satisfaction in recent years but solutions will have to be found if we are here next year.”
Simeone’s comments could have caught the attention of Premier League club bigwigs.
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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is under mounting pressure following a run of four defeats from six games, although SunSport understands he is in no immediate danger of the sack.
Arsenal gaffer Mikel Arteta’s future at the Emirates Stadium was called into question after dropping into the lower reaches of the table but back-to-back wins have eased the pressure.
Doubts over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s job at Manchester United, however, have eased after climbing to second in the Premier League.
Simeone has been in charge of Atletico since December 2011 and has turned the club into one of the continent’s most-feared clubs.
The Argentine has won four major honours in that time – LaLiga in 2014, the Copa del Rey in 2013 and the Europa League in 2012 and 2018.
He is hoping to win LaLiga for the second time as manager in what could be his final campaign at the club. Atletico have a two-point lead over Real Madrid, with two games in hand.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
