A Progress Report on 5 Key Atletico Madrid Players Who Are out on Loan

Atletico Madrid currently have a number of players out on loan and with the season reaching its conclusion they will soon have decisions to make regarding their futures at the club.

Here we take a look at five key Atletico loanees, assess their performances over the course of the season and discuss the likelihood of them returning to the Vicente Calderon next season.

Javier Manquillo, Josuha Guilavogui and Alessio Cerci have not been included as they are all in the midst of two-season loans to Liverpool, Wolfsburg and AC Milan, respectively, and they will therefore not be part of Atletico’s planning this summer.

All appearance data is via Soccerway unless otherwise stated.

Emiliano Velazquez: Getafe

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Emiliano Velazquez has enjoyed a largely impressive season on loan at fellow Primera Division side Getafe.

The 21-year-old has started 26 times for a club who are currently just a couple of points away from confirming their top-flight status for next season.

It has been an up and down season for the Azulones, who are now on their third coach of the campaign. But Velazquez has been a strong and steady presence in the centre of their defence.

He performed very well in the 0-0 home draw with Barcelona in December, in which he came up against his compatriot Luis Suarez. While he has inevitably suffered the odd difficult match, he has generally left a good impression.

The centre-back received a reward for his strong campaign on Monday, when he was called up to Uruguay’s 27-man preliminary squad for the 2015 Copa America.

Velazquez could feasibly return to Atletico next season but that is likely to depend on other incomings and outgoings in his position. He told Javier Hernandez of AS in March that he would prefer to spend another year out on loan if first-team opportunities are likely to be limited in Madrid.

“For now, I’d rather be sure that I’ll play,” he explained. “I am only 20 and I don’t want to be on the sidelines for a season.”

Toby Alderweireld: Southampton

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Toby Alderweireld has attracted the attention of a number of Premier League clubs following a successful season on loan at Southampton.

The 26-year-old has started 24 times for a side who currently boast the second-best defensive record in the division, with just 30 goals conceded across 36 matches.

He has returned to the level that initially convinced Atletico to part with €10 million to sign him from Ajax in the summer of 2013.

And his performances seem set to spark a bidding war for his services this summer. John Cross of the Mirror recently reported that Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City, along with Southampton, are all interested in signing the Belgium international.

Per Marca, Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Caminero said in April that the club are “counting on” Alderweireld for next season. However, there would be little incentive for him to return to the Vicente Calderon unless a path to regular first-team action is cleared by the possible departure of Miranda.

“Atletico will decide my future, but I would like to stay in the Premier League,” Alderweireld said earlier this year, as per Cross. “That some of the big clubs show interest proves I’m doing well.”

Oliver Torres: FC Porto

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Oliver Torres has flourished on loan at FC Porto under the command of his former Spain under-19 coach Julen Lopetegui.

The 20-year-old midfielder has made 38 appearances (30 of which were starts) in all competitions for a side who reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and are likely to finish second to Benfica in the Portuguese league.

He has performed with a maturity beyond his years, with some of his most impressive displays coming in Porto’s most difficult fixtures. Lopetegui, for one, is highly enamoured of the young playmaker.

“He stands out because he always wants the ball,” he explained, as per El Pais (h/t ESPN FC). “He is ambitious and intelligent. There is no limit to his potential.”

Torres’ performances have also been noted back in Madrid. Per AS, Porto were keen to extend the loan agreement for another season, but Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Caminero confirmed in April, as per Marca, that the club intend to bring him back into the fold next season.

The small and slight midfielder has proved that he is capable of coping with the demands of regular first-team football. And, with seven league goals to date, he has also shown that he has the ability to produce an end product in the final third.

He has earned his right to return to Atletico.

Leo Baptistao: Rayo Vallecano

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Leo Baptistao was sent out on loan to Rayo Vallecano at the start of the season in the hope that a return to familiar surroundings would see him regain the form he showed prior to his move from Rayo to Atletico in the summer of 2013.

The plan seemed to be working during the first half of the campaign, with doubles against Athletic Club, Levante and Eibar and a single strike against Espanyol seeing him end 2014 with seven goals in 15 appearances.

But things have not gone as well for the 22-year-old since the turn of the year. He failed to score in eight appearances between January and mid-March and has been out of action thereafter with a thigh injury.

Yet despite his fractured campaign, interest is high in the Brazilian-born forward. Per Javier G. Gomara of Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish), Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Genoa, West Ham and Sunderland are all keeping tabs on his situation.

Gomara states the club have great faith in Baptistao—as evidenced by the contract renewal through to 2021 that they handed him last summer—but Diego Simeone remains unsure of his merits.

Baptistao will return for pre-season training in July and a decision will then be made as to his future.

Borja Baston: Real Zaragoza

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Atletico Madrid currently have the second-highest scorer in the Segunda Division on their books in the form of 22-goal striker Borja Baston, on loan at Real Zaragoza.

This season represents Baston’s fourth consecutive campaign out on loan. In the first three, he averaged a goal every 190 to 196 minutes. But this year he has really found his form, with one every 138 minutes to date.

Baston came up through the ranks at Atletico and was once considered the natural heir to Fernando Torres. He made his debut aged 17 in May 2010 but has been unable to add to that appearance in the following years.

Now aged 22, his performances and scoring rate this season have, as per Jesus Hernandez of Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish), attracted the attention of the likes of Celta Vigo, Real Betis, Sevilla and Villarreal.

Hernandez notes in that piece that Baston would love to return to the club that he grew up supporting. But the player himself admits that he has received minimal contact from Atletico throughout the campaign.

Atletico intend to exercise their option to extend his contract through to 2017, but it remains to be seen what next season will hold for Baston.

With Antoine Griezmann, Fernando Torres, Mario Mandzukic and Raul Jimenez currently blocking his path to first-team football, he may be forced to prove himself on loan at another Primera Division side before he gets a chance to do so at the Vicente Calderon.