About a year ago, Thiago Almada set down his bags in Lyon. The pocket-sized Argentinian planned to launch his career in Europe after stints with Vélez Sarsfield, Atlanta and Botafogo, another member of the Eagle Football family to which he belonged. This also caused him small problems since many clubs in the French championship denounced this free loan and lodged reservations when they faced the Rhone team. In vain, since the Professional Football League had validated this movement. For his part, the midfielder did not seem to be affected by these attacks. Between Rhône and Saône, he was able to find his place little by little, having participated in 20 matches in all competitions.
A new challenge in Madrid
Regarding his stat line, he scored 2 goals and delivered 5 assists. A rather correct assessment for the Argentinian international, who was expected to stay with Les Gones for the long term. That was the basic idea anyway. At the end of the season, John Textor assured that the player courted in Portugal would stay. “I don’t know if Benfica is still interested. But I didn’t ask for an amount. We don’t want to sell it. We transferred Rayan Cherki and we plan to make Thiago our attacking midfielder. But the plan evolved, as it often does with the American businessman. In addition to the tensions in Lyon, where he finally left his post as president, he was also excited by the interests in Almada.
Benfica, Zenit and Atlético de Madrid have positioned themselves. And it was the Colchoneros, helped by the shadow work of Diego Simeone with his compatriot, who won the game on July 15. “Atlético de Madrid and Botafogo FR have reached an agreement for the transfer of 24-year-old Argentina international Thiago Almada. The latter will go to Madrid to undergo the necessary medical examination and sign his contract. A transfer worth €21 million for 50% of the player’s rights. In fact, Botafogo keeps the other half. For their part, Les Gones received nothing from this operation. Ready for a new challenge in Spain, Thiago Almada was determined to win.
Very shy beginnings
“We all know that it’s one of the biggest clubs (…) It was my dream to play here, and I managed to make it come true. I have a lot of affection for the club, its history, I have a lot of friends who watched the matches, and when I had the opportunity to come, I didn’t hesitate for a single second. Now I have to show everything” For the moment, we cannot say that he really showed everything as he promised. After 3 appearances at the start of the season against Espanyol, Elche and Alavés, he was stopped by a muscle injury. Away from the field for 31 days (missing 8 matches), he returned to the group in mid-October. He thus made a string of appearances, scoring 2 goals (against Osasuna and Sevilla) and delivering 1 assist (against Sevilla) very quickly. Then, he alternated coming into play or going on the bench without being used.
The Argentinian thus participated in a total of 15 matches in all competitions with the Madrilenians, but only 5 as a starter. Time for him to score 2 goals and deliver 1 assist. Besides the numbers, his influence on the Colchoneros’ game did not live up to expectations. All this led to reflection on the part of the Madrilenians, who cannot recruit any player this winter unless they leave. This is linked to the numerous financial efforts made by the club last summer. The idea was therefore to recruit next summer instead, even if the recruitment of a left back or a winger is not excluded in the event of sales. And in fact, Atlético has already targeted a player from whom it possibly wishes to part ways.
A transfer is already being studied for the Almada fuse
In recent days, a transfer of Giacomo Raspadori to AS Roma has been mentioned. But he is not the only one, since management’s eyes have also started to turn towards Thiago Almada. Under contract until 2030, the midfielder will not be retained if a proposal deemed interesting arrives this winter assures Estadio Deportivowho is not convinced by this recruit.“Thiago Almada is not having his best season at Atlético de Madrid. The Argentinian arrived last summer as one of the club’s star recruits, with Atlético having paid around 21 million euros to secure his services. However, this investment is not bearing fruit on the pitch, with Almada being one of the players who has not earned Diego Simeone’s trust.
ED adds: “This situation makes the departure of Thiago Almada entirely plausible, because his transfer could bring money to Atlético de Madrid. This capital could then be used by the club to strengthen its workforce on the transfer market. If Thiago Almada were to leave, Atlético de Madrid would be looking for an offensive player capable of making the difference in duels, which is one of the weak points of Diego Pablo Simeone’s team. » However, the Cadena SER noted “that no offer has been made for the Argentine at this time and that his departure is unlikely.”. So everything is possible. Especially since clubs are already on the lookout. ED evokes a loan offer with purchase option from Grêmio. In Europe, Naples is cited as a base. The transfer windows follow one another and are definitely similar for Thiago Almada (24 years old), who could experience a third club in the space of a year.
