7 Players Atletico Madrid Should Clear Out in 2016 Summer Transfer Window
The post-season inquisition has begun at Atletico Madrid after they ended the season empty-handed, losing in the final of the UEFA Champions League to Real Madrid on Saturday and the Liga title race to Barcelona.
Despite an excellent campaign overall in terms of results against big teams and certain individuals' performances and growth over 2015-16, the disappointment will be enormous at the Vicente Calderon, as they couldn't turn their impressive year into tangible success in the form of silverware.
Plans are already well under way to reshape the squad over the summer, with Nicolas Gaitan and Diogo Jota already set to join, per Marca, with the same Spanish publication also reporting a move for right-back Sime Vrsaljko is in the offing.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Where additions are made, though, departures also become necessary—and Diego Simeone and Co. will have to make space in the squad by offloading some of this season's fringe players.
There's no great need for a sweeping overhaul of the squad, but Atleti nonetheless have a number of names who perhaps won't offer much to a push for success next term.
Luciano Vietto
One of the biggest disappointments of the season was Luciano Vietto. The Argentinian forward failed to make enough of an impact over the first half of the campaign when he was in the team, and as a result he was gradually eased out of the squad over the second half, missing the Champions League final (and not even named on the bench).
Vietto was never close to the finished product some unreasonably expected of him, but he should have had enough quality and confidence to be a good squad player.
Even when Jackson Martinez departed the Calderon, Vietto failed to push on and secure a place due to a lack of composure and killer touch in the box. He was not quite as aggressive out of possession as he needed to be and didn't have the speed of movement that Fernando Torres or Angel Correa brought.
Celta Vigo are hopeful of signing him this summer, according to AS. Atletico shouldn't lose faith in Vietto entirely, perhaps loaning him out, but a sale and option to buy back in a year or two could work in a similar way.
Jesus Gamez
Full-back Jesus Gamez is a mere back-up player in terms of his on-pitch production, covering both sides of defence when required, but is seemingly a more important man on the training ground than anything else.
A good work ethic, solid defensive ability and a great deal of professionalism have kept Gamez at the club this year when it was clear he wouldn't feature heavily—and his stats show Atletico won't be particularly weaker without him. From being named in the matchday squad 44 times, the 31-year-old only played in 16 fixtures this term.
Whether Vrsaljko or another right-back is targeted, with Javi Manquillo also out on loan, Gamez is perhaps the most easily upgraded part of the squad. He's done nothing particularly wrong; he's simply not of the level to push Juanfran or replace him.
Guilherme Siqueira
On the other side of defence, Atleti started the season with great depth. Filipe Luis was the returning first choice, with Guilherme Siqueira, once one of the most wanted left-backs in Europe, as back-up.
The latter man barely featured in the first half of the campaign, though, and didn't look a comfortable fit for Atleti this year or last. It was no surprise he was sent out on loan in January.
He has impressed at Valencia, doubling up down the left with Jose Gaya at times or with Denis Cheryshev ahead of him, but it looks as though he has no future under Simeone.
Siqueira, 30, retains value in the transfer market, though, and Atletico should recoup a reasonable fee to sell him outright—this is an example of a player who is good enough but hasn't clicked at the club as expected.
With Lucas Hernandez covering at left-back this term and impressing both there and centrally, there's little reason to keep wasting Siqueira's time or the club's money—Atleti should offload him and move on.
Cerci and 3 more on loan
In addition to those three, there are four players out on loan who have no future at the club, having failed to show the required level of quality.
Alessio Cerci has another year to run on his Atletico contract but has disappointed since signing from Torino. Having initially been loaned out to AC Milan—given Fernando Torres' recent form, there's no question who got the better of that swap deal—the Rossoneri gave up on Cerci and sent him to Genoa in midseason.
Having not overly impressed there, either, the 28-year-old was named as an unused substitute in three of his last four league games for Genoa—before finishing up the season injured.
Presumably, there's not going to be a huge queue for his signature, and a final year out on loan before a dismal free transfer appears the most likely course of events.
Emiliano Velazquez has spent two seasons with Getafe but failed to improve his consistency or dependability, highlighted by his failure to remain a regular in the team as Getafe were relegated to La Segunda this season.
Full-back Silvio has spent three years on loan at Benfica and can barely be considered an Atletico player at this point. He is doubtless set for another temporary switch next season as his contract enters its final 12 months.
Meanwhile, Leo Baptistao has never managed to hit the heights expected of him.
The former Rayo Vallecano forward has had a disappointing year overall on loan at Villarreal, and there's no chance of him getting back into the Atletico side. The club should seek a permanent deal to make the most of whatever residual transfer value he holds, but it's clear he'll never be the player Atleti had hoped him to be.
Not every departure has to be because players have been a disappointment. That last quartet out on loan may have failed to live up to expectations, but Gamez in particular has been a decent squad player for Atletico.
There comes a time when a club has to make changes and take tough decisions to improve, and offloading this group of players this summer will be part of the natural progression for Atletico to attempt to go one step further next term and lift the trophies they came so close to this year.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
