Transfers, August & September Update
Atletico mainly focused on youth in the transfer market. Following the 3 draft picks of Mkhitaryan, Rugani & Bellerin were the signings of Butland, Barbosa & Gourcuff. The second chance window saw Iglesias & Simeone sign some promising talent for the future.
Achraf Lazaar - 23 year old Moroccan international capable of playing anywhere on the left flank.
Kenny Tete - the 19 year old signed from Ajax is one for the future and was farmed out to Monaco
Dayot Upamecano - 16 year old centre back signed for his potential
The opening weekend of the inaugural Platinum League saw Atleti welcome Man Utd. An even game possession wise but only Utd's strikers brought their finishing boots, a disappointing 1-0 defeat.
Simeone was already feeling the pressure when Barcelona visited the Vicente Calderon and left with a 3-1 lead in The Cup 1st Round.
A late August run of 3 away games followed the Barca loss and Atletico finally sprung into life. A magnificent 3-1 win away at Arsenal in which new signing Gabriel Barbosa scored his first goal for the club. A 1-1 draw in the 2nd leg of The Cup 1st round saw Atleti crash out early but another great performance followed that in Milan - winning 3-0 in the San Siro.
Player of the Month - August
Juanfran
Top Scorer - August
Luciano Vietto (3)
September started with an away game in London and Atletico left with a point when they will feel they could, and should, have had all three. Barbosa and Saul gave Madrid a commanding lead only for Eden Hazard and Jack Wilshere save a point for Chelsea.
A 1-1 draw against a well strengthened Valencia team saw Luciano Vietto score his 7th goal in all competitions.
The final game in September saw Atleti welcome back striker Jackson Martinez to the Vicente Calderon. It didn't take the new Leverkusen marksman long to show Madrid fans what they were missing as he gave his new team a 1-0 lead in the 1st minute. The impressive duo of Vietto and Juanfran secured 3 points for Atleti and they finished the month in 3rd position.
Player of the Month - September
Juanfran
Top Scorer - September
Luciano Vietto (2)
New owner Enrique Iglesias has expressed his delight at the clubs current position in the Platinum League, his team lie in 3rd, despite the media prediction of 10th. A disappointing factor was the early exit in The Cup.