Why Atletico Madrid Must Keep Hold of Diego Godin at All Costs

Diego Simeone's arrival at Atletico Madrid in the winter of 2011 has led to unprecedented success for the club.

The Argentine has installed a work rate and discipline within the squad, while gradually introducing new players to the side.

It's almost three years since El Cholo returned to his former team, and the turnaround in their fortunes since then has been stark.

One of the players who has benefited the most is centre-back Diego Godin.

The Uruguayan joined Atletico 18 months prior to his manager and had initially struggled to make an impact at the Vicente Calderon.

He made 25 league starts in his debut season and had to compete with Luis Perea and Alvaro Dominguez for a starting role.

His manager at the time, Quique Sanchez Flores, made numerous changes to the defence, which disrupted the progression of the former Villarreal defender.

That didn't stop outside interest from generating; Premier League clubs were regularly linked with moves for Godin.

"If there is interest from Chelsea, I will study it," admitted Godin to Goal.com in an exclusive interview in November 2011.

"At the moment, there is nothing. For now I am at Atletico Madrid and I am not thinking of anything else. There is nothing official."

Had Simeone not arrived, there's every chance that Godin would have departed without ever truly making his mark at Los Rojiblancos.

Godin is now the cornerstone of Atleti's impressive defence, and his partnership with Miranda is one of the best in football.

The two combine strength and aerial ability, which not only gives the team defensive resilience but an attacking threat—the pair have scored four goals between them in La Liga so far this season, via WhoScored.com.

Godin arranges the rest of the back four, and his vocal presence is essential to forming the organised Atletico unit.

His reading of the game is excellent, and his composure ensures the team remains compact.

He looks assured in possession as he elegantly steps out of the defensive line, although his pass completion rate isn't particularly high because he attempts more audacious passes.

This was illustrated in the victories over Sevilla and Real Madrid, during which his more direct and longer balls went wayward, via FourFourTwo Stats Zone.

However, in that win over Los Blancos, his strengths also shone through. He won four out of his five aerial duals and completed eight clearances, via FourFourTwo Stats Zone.

Last year's title win was achieved with the league's best defence and despite scoring 23 goals fewer than runners-up Barcelona, via WhoScored.com.

"I think Diego Simeone has to win the Golden Ball, without a doubt," Godin told Spanish radio station Onda Cero, per Inside Spanish Football.

"Considering what he managed to do last season with a squad that wasn’t as expensive as others, I think that even doubles his merit."

The player clearly rates his manager and understands that the Argentine was responsible for more than just the team's dramatic improvement.

This respect is reciprocated by his coach, as he explained to Goal.com during the World Cup as he worked as an analyst.

"Godin is one of the club's most important players," said Simeone, per the Express. "I'd never let him leave. He's improved notably in every possible respect; on the pitch, as a leader, and as a person."

Godin is still only 28 and would be very difficult to replace.

There are players within the Atletico squad who will generate more income if they were to leave, which is a prime reason why Godin should stay put.

Atletico's financial predicament means that selling players is an unfortunate part of their business model, but keeping the defender is of paramount importance.