Atletico Madrid have just surprised the entire transfer market when they decided to close the deal with Julian Alvarez from Man City for 95 million Euros. Before that, they tried to cross the two markers of 45 and 60 million Euros with Man City but were both rejected. Just 24 hours after being rejected for the second time, the Madrid team decided to spend big and get what they needed.
Before Alvarez, Atletico Madrid added some quality personnel such as Connor Gallagher (40 million Euros, Chelsea), Robin Le Normand (34.5 million Euros, Real Sociedad) or Alexander Solorth (32 million Euros, Villarreal). Before the 2024 summer market, even after being invested by Chinese owners, Atletico has never been known as a team that spends heavily to buy players. However, things are changing at Wanda Metropolitano.
In terms of financial strength, the two leading teams in La Liga are always Real Madrid and Barcelona. Atletico Madrid are in 3rd place and are far behind the two leading opponents. However, they also create a huge gap with the teams behind, even with teams of the same level like Sevilla or Valencia. Los Rojiblancos' revenue in the 2022-2023 season is 358 million Euros. At the same time, Barca's figure was 806 million Euros and Real's was 843 million Euros.
Since 2017, after moving from Vicente Calderon Stadium to Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico Madrid's revenue has increased significantly every year. The new home stadium is not only a place to host matches, it also has entertainment and commercial complexes, so it is constantly vibrant.
In terms of expertise, under Diego Simeone, Atletico have played in the Champions League for 11 consecutive seasons, including 2 La Liga championships. This consistency in achievements is one of the reasons why the Argentine strategist has maintained his position on the coaching bench.
This season, Atletico still recorded a debt of about 514 million Euros but not a debt that needed to be paid immediately. Last month, they issued a new round of stocks worth 70 million Euros. Two of the club's companies, Atletico HoldCo and quantum Pacific, have pumping in these funds, with the figures being 50 and 20 million Euros respectively.
To get new players like last week, Atletico had to sell some of their surplus stars. The two strikers, Alvaro Morata, have arrived at AC Milan (30 million Euros) while Memphis Depay has been cleared to leave. Meanwhile, the veteran midfielder Saul Niguez has been in decline in the past 2 years and has just arrived at Sevilla on loan (Atletico only have to pay a portion of their salary).
Below the defense, 3 stars have left the team including Stefan Savic (to Trabzonspor), Mario Hermoso (not renewed), Caglar Soyuncu (to Fenerbahce). Gabriel Paulista's case is similar to Depay. In addition, Atletico are still looking to clear the way for young talent Samu Omorodion to join Chelsea, an offer being discussed is 32.5 million Euros.
All of these star-studded deals have given Atletico more space in their salary fund to welcome many good players back to Madrid last week.
In terms of personnel quality, Atletico are looking to push Joao Felix away to recover some of the 127 million Euros they spent on Benfica in 2019. Meanwhile, with so many departures from the defense, Le Normand alone may not be enough. Last season, Atletico suffered the most goals conceded in La Liga in Simeone's 11 years in charge (68 goals in 54 matches in all competitions).
In the long term, Atletico Madrid may change owners. Currently, Atletico HoldCo controls 70% of the shares, quantum Pacific owns the remaining 30%. US investors such as Ares Management Corporation hold 34% of Atletico HoldCo's shares, with Gil Marin and Club President Enrique Cerezo controlling the remaining 66%.
This summer, Gil Marin has taken the first steps in building a new training ground near Wanda Metropolitano. When this project is completed, the club's current facility in the high-end suburbs of majadahonda will become a very valuable real estate asset.
The last thing to address is Diego Simeone's future. Last year, this individual strategist signed an extension until 2027. The decision of the Argentine coach to buy stars instead of investing in young players this summer shows the enthusiasm for titles in the short term. When he achieves his goal, Simeone may leave the team and leave a huge void on the coaching bench.
