Diego Simeone Signs Atletico Madrid Contract Extension Until 2022

Diego Simeone will remain in charge of Atletico Madrid until 2022 after extending his stay at the Wanda Metropolitano on Thursday.

Atleti teased the announcement on Twitter before releasing a video celebrating Simeone prolonging his tenure in the Spanish capital:

Putting pen to paper on fresh terms will rule out any familiar speculation linking Simeonewith a move away.

As Football Italia noted, the former Inter Milan player has spoken of his desire to manage the Nerazzurri in the past.

There have been doubts about the future of Luciano Spalletti in Milan, with the Mirror (h/t Will Griffee of the Daily Mail) even linking former Inter chief Jose Mourinho with a return.

Football Italia also named Premier League duo Manchester United and Chelsea as possible suitors for Simeone. United have caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in charge until the end of the season after sacking Mourinho in mid-December.

Meanwhile, Maurizio Sarri is under pressure at Chelsea after some heavy defeats, most notably a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City recently.

Convincing Simeone to stay put represents a major coup Atletico. Los Rojiblancos have become a major force, both domestically and in Europe, since the Argentinian took charge in 2011.

He has since won the UEFA Europa League twice, beating Athletic Bilbao in 2012 before seeing off Marseille last season. Simeone also broke the Barcelona and Real Madrid stranglehold on La Liga when Atleti captured the title in 2014. It was the club's first top-flight domestic championship since 1995-96, when Simeone underpinned the midfield as a player.

While winning the league title is Simeone's crowning achievement as a manager, his time in charge may be defined more by near misses in the UEFA Champions League.

He guided the club to the final of Europe's premier club tournament in both 2014 and 2016. On both occasions, Simeone and Atletico lost out to city rivals Real. While the defeats were painful, Atleti hadn't been in the final since 1974, a measure of how much the club has improved under "El Cholo."

Simeone has achieved his success on the solid foundation of rock-solid defences. While he's often been known for his pragmatism, the 48-year-old also deserves credit for how he has consistently reinvented squads after losing key players.

He saw striker Diego Costa and left-back Filipe Luis move to Chelsea after the title win. Blues loanee goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also returned to Stamford Bridge.

Simeone responded by replacing Costa's goals with Antoine Griezmann, a player who lacked the former's strength but offered greater pace and a more perceptive range of movement.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Jan Oblak was added from Benfica to be Courtois' successor, and he's helped ensure Atletico remain competitive.

With Simeone still defining a tough style of play for a club led by intelligent recruitment, Atletico are sure to continue competing with the biggest names on the continent.