Why Thiago Motta Is the Type of Player Atletico Madrid Need
Atletico Madrid's busy summer of spending is almost complete, with perhaps just one more central midfielder to be added to the squad—with latest reports indicating they are still hot on the trail of experienced Paris Saint-Germain man Thiago Motta.
Marca recently reported that Motta had offered his services to Atletico rather than the club having initially earmarked him as a potential signing. Motta then told L'Equipe (h/t ESPN FC) that it was his will to leave PSG and rejoin Atleti before the Ligue 1 club's manager, Laurent Blanc, admitted the transfer is "progressing" but "not totally finalised," per Inside Spanish Football.
It is likely that Motta would be the final reinforcement of the revamped Atletico squad for 2015-16, and he would be an excellent addition to midfield, with his skill set and mentality exactly the kind that would benefit Diego Simeone's team.
Traits and Suitability
Thiago Motta joined Atletico Madrid in 2007 but played just a single season with the club as injuries prevented much progress. At the time, he was seen largely as a creative midfielder, playing not as an attacker as such but certainly a roving, forward-thinking schemer from the centre.
More recently, his role at PSG is that of a protector of the defence, sitting deep to win back possession and distribute with consistency and intelligence. Motta's aggression and determination is easily visible, yet he has lost little of his capacity to play as an instigator of team attacks.
For Atletico under Diego Simeone, this dual ability is a must-have for a midfield that works tremendously hard yet also has to provide a platform for springing counter-attacks and supporting final-third play in numbers.
That Motta himself has asked to join the club indicates he would give everything and more for the team and the manager, an attribute Cholo demands of his players.
Partnering Koke
Finally, the much-needed and overdue move is set to be made: Koke will this season move infield from the left side of the midfield quartet into the double pivot. Atletico's best midfielder on the ball, Koke lacks none of the aggression, work rate or tactical awareness needed to play centrally for Simeone, yet he is also one of the most creative and gifted players in the league.
Whether he starts as the slightly more withdrawn of the two—likely if he partners Tiago—or the one with a little more licence to make things happen outside the opposition penalty area—with Gabi as his defensive foil—the 23-year-old is one of the top players in La Liga. Having him play from the middle would take Atletico up another level this term, even without player additions.
What that means for Thiago Motta is he would be up against the club captain and one of the standouts of last season to partner the precocious Spaniard. Motta's quality and defensive capabilities would make him a more than adequate screen for the defence alongside the more mobile and equally determined Koke. Together, the entirely new central pairing for Atletico could raise the team's level of play even further.
Depth
What is certain is Atletico have this summer built themselves a squad capable of competing on all three fronts. The midfield, whichever way the centre is aligned, already has quality and depth. Adding Motta to that would be the icing on the cake and probably allows Thomas to leave on loan for another campaign rather than stay as fourth choice in the centre.
With Raul Garcia, Saul and Oliver Torres all capable of playing from the right and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco coming in to add pace and penetration off the left flank Koke will vacate, the midfield looks utterly complete, both in numbers and in attributes needed, whichever quartet plays.
Simeone has shown throughout his time at Atletico that once the defensive phase is set, success will follow if the team attacks well enough. Signing Motta could genuinely add quality to both halves of that pattern and push Atleti on toward more silverware in 2015-16.
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