Julián Álvarez

[fergus90]

Atletico having a South American number 9. This is the La Liga I recognise.

 

[Messigician]

Pathetico more money than us

Should have signed CVC

 

[companyofcules]

Is 75 m, we paid how much on Ferran?
I bet they didn't put Barto add ons either or they pay 75 on the spot. Quite expensive but I already told you, Alvarez will not leave for peanuts.
I think it's a great boost to La Liga, and he saved his career as a striker, was going downstairs with Pep.

 

[Messi983]

Based on what? You crying about a club spending money on a player that is from LA Masia and who also outperformed Pedri and Fermin on Spain?

I thought second part of my post was an obvious self-explanatory joke related to Coutinho and Felix.

I like Alvarez and I don't dislike Olmo as a player despite some of my posts probably sounding like I hate him, lol. I don't think either of them will actually flop but I wouldn't make those tranfers for these fees.

First about Alvarez before I go OT rambling about Olmo. Personally I don't think Julian is a perenial 25-30 goals/season player that is worth that kind of investment. 50-60m, yes. Up to potentially 95m? No way. That said Atleti did have their fair share of success with South American strikers and he could be the next one. But he could just as easily become the next Joao Felix. In Julian's favor I do believe he has work ethic and something between his ears that JF lacks. And he's also Argentinian so will understand Cholo's temperament and requirements better.

As said wouldn't make this signing but I understand options on the market were probably limited. They also have to plan for the life after Griezmann who will leave if not now then surely in next 12 months as he wants to play last few years of his career in MLS. And Alvarez is as good replacement as they can get. Too expensive and not without risks though (but ofc all big money transfers are risky).


Dani is a good player but there are some concerns I have about his signing. First is clearly injury history which is scary last few years. But hey, maybe between him and Pedri we'll get a full season out of them.

And second is how/where he'll be used. Versatility is fine but as I've already pointed out in one of my previous posts in another thread you don't buy a 60m player (especially in our situation) without a clear role in mind. If he's seen as a LW (and I think that's where he'll be mostly used this season) then I don't like this signing. If he'll play as AM then ok but I will still believe we could use 60m better. Or just save the money, go with the team we have (it's very unlikely Dani will be a difference between us winning nothing and anything worthy this season) and invest next year in someone like Wirtz if possible (or just address DM, LW and probably new striker so lot of reasons for actually saving the money). Could already see a scenario when Wirtz goes to Madrid (which would probably happen even if we'd try to sign him, Madrid just has bigger pulling power and better finances than us right now) and then people here complaining how stupid we were for signing Olmo and not Wirtz.

That's IF Flick will still be here and we'll be using an AMC. If things go wrong for him, a new coach comes and returns to 4-3-3 then we'd be obviously looking for another profile of midfielder (or just other positions as mentioned above). But what happens with Olmo in that case? Do you see him as a CM in 4-3-3? I don't. Do you believe he's a longterm LW? Maybe, but I don't. As said versatility is good but not if he's only starting quality good in one position that he might not play primarily this season and a position which could maybe not exist anymore in our system in 12 months. And then he becomes just another (a bit improved in terms of quality) version of Ferran as an expensive versatile bench warmer. Roles like these should be mostly for La Masia kids and cheap signings like Pau Victor. In other times we could afford 60m bench players. Nowadays we can't but we could potentially have two of them in 12 months.

Mentioning former La Masia players I don't like to spend big to bring them back. I've always disliked the Cesc signing even more so with the whole transfer saga surrounding his return. I see lot of similarities between Cesc and Olmo tbf. Cesc was ofc a better/more proven player than Olmo is at this point but while he had good stats (those were inflated playing alongside prime Messi while Olmo will have to play with old Lewa though) he was not what the club thought he would be and he left before the player he was supposed to replace long term. And I think the same could happen with Olmo. He'll score some goals (but Fermin can do that as well) and get few assists but I'm not sure he'll have a 60m worth impact on the team. Especially if not playing in his best position. Or even worse, not playing regularly at all due to injuries.

Olmo outperforming Pedri and Fermin in Euros means nothing to me (it's also easy doing that when one player is injured and other barely playing). International football is different and on a much lower level than club football. I've liked Olmo when he played for Leipzig (when he was actually available) and when lot of people here thought he was overrated. But I'm always wary about signing players based on big tournaments hype. Those signings backfire more often than not.

I'm not saying we are buying him based purely on a few good games in Euros because it's clear club has been following Dani's development probably since he left but I do believe good performances for Spain have made the decision more straightforward for the club. It will be also easier to "sell" this signing to fan base than if he'd played poorly in Germany this summer.

We still don't have an answer to the most important question though. What made the club believe he could be (and probably will be, at least this season) an alternative to Nico? It's like signing Paulinho after you were chasing Verratti whole summer. This club is just too fixated on certain players instead of looking for the right profiles. And then we either have to overpay for that one and only player we want (which happens most of the times) or we end up with with an alternative that is not only worse in terms of quality (which is understandable as second options are usually of lower quality than primary targets) but also with players whose attributes are often totally different to the ones we originally wanted to sign. Even in Laporta's first term he wanted Beckham but then we ended up with Ronaldinho. Totally different players but ofc that worked out great for us so no complaints. But alternative signings since then were not exactly as inspired.

Before I make this wall of text even longer. While I have some question marks about Olmo I really hope he'll prove me wrong. He's our player now and I'll support him like I did with all other players I've had initial reservations with when they were signed.

Welcome and good luck, Dani.

 

[companyofcules]

Atletico took the beast poacher in La Liga and the best CF in EPL.
This might be risky, but they absolutely bulletproof the attack.
I think they have a good chance to win the second place and not that small to go for the title.

 

[companyofcules]

If you look at it, they took the best or almost the best options to fill their departures. The poacher was 32 mil, CB 34, CF 75.
Depay, Morata, Savic needed big replacements and they prepared themselves.
Nothing wow paying 75 mil for a player with those minutes for City and 24 old. He has 8 years in his boots at least. That is 10 mil per year plus salary.

We paid 45 mil and 30 mil salary for Lewandowski playing one year decent football as a pocher, after we paid 55 mil on Ferran as CF.
We paid another 40? mil for Tigrino and recruited Guiu to not totally collapse, got Felix in too on a big wage and we paid 2.7 on Pau.
So all this money and we are in the grey, people are saying Pau is the best.
Alvarez is way better than Pau, except the headers. If Pau looks amazing compared with players worth 140 mil, Alvarez would have smoked em at 75 mil and variables. I wouldn't mind paying another 20 for titles.

 

[malvolio]

Barca fans calling a 75M + 20M possible addons fee inflated and laughing.

Spending 95M on Ferran and Roque was alright though.

 

[jamrock]

Ferran is universally hate and that transfer fee pan by 95% of barca fans.

And if you're breaking up, Alvarez deal into transfer fee and add ons, gotta do the same for Torres, can't have it both ways to make a point.

 

[JamDav1982]

They are paying a huge fee but to be fair to them maybe they should.

While would not want Alvarez at Barca for that he may be the type of quality Atletico rarely get chance to sign and have to take it.

Also as a two and bigger man in Sorloth may work a treat for them.

 

[Rory]

Think he'll be a class signing for them.

 

[JamDav1982]

Think he'll be a class signing for them.

It is good for La Liga also.

Much better with a strong Atletico.

 

[jamrock]

He will and Barca fans will say, we didn't we sign him for 95m euros.

 

[Porque]

He will and Barca fans will say, we didn't we sign him for 95m euros.

Barca fans will say why didn't we get him instead of passing the deal to City and netting Ferran Torres.

The same way we would have complained about passing on Vitor Roque if he would have transferred elsewhere and bang them in.

 

[companyofcules]

I already stated he is a great finisher. I don't know, he has insane abilities to hit a ball and I never saw him having issues at that. In Argentina he had the numbers too.

Personally I think Aguero was better due to his better dribling skills but this guy isn't some bum and is the same type of striker with a taste for fine goals. What makes him superior to Aguero is his will to sacrifice himself for the better of the team. He is the opposite of Mbappe and I will always respect that.
I hope he does well, he is such a good lad and La Liga needs some stars, I doubt nothing about his skills as CF only his mental state. He degraded alot after the WC.

 

[Masetro10]

Atletico took the beast poacher in La Liga and the best CF in EPL.
This might be risky, but they absolutely bulletproof the attack.
I think they have a good chance to win the second place and not that small to go for the tititle.

Atleti is about to be nasty. But then again Simeone is his own kryptonite.

If Atleti plays 4411 I can see them winning a trophy of some sort.

Sorloth with Alavarez behind.

Gallagher and De Paul holding down the middle sounds tough.