The Uruguayan forward completed his move to Los Rojiblancos on Friday afternoon before training with his teammates for the first time in the evening.
Luis Suarez’s status will give Atleti internal and attacking power
Diego Simeone has expressed his enthusiasm for securing the services of Luis Suarez from Barcelona. The Uruguayan forward completed his move to Los Rojiblancos on Friday afternoon before training with his teammates for the first time in the evening. “I am confident that the arrival of Suarez will mean that we continue to grow as a club and as a team,” Simeone told the press on Saturday. “His status will give us internal competition and attacking power. Hopefully, he can continue to record the historical numbers that he had at Barcelona. We spoke to him in the past before he went to Barcelona. He took a different path and had six successful, wonderful, and great years.
We are very excited and happy that he adapts to what we want from him as much as possible faster, and that his goals can keep us in a competition where we have always done.”
Suarez is a reference
Suarez arrives at Atlético to replace Alvaro Morata, who has left on loan to return to Juventus. “Speaking of Suarez… we all know it,” Simeone added. “He’s a reference He plays a great game, and his movement in the box is his strength. Facing the chance of Alvaro leaving, the best bet would be to find someone who scored more goals than he did last season. When Suarez came in – it was not easy to find a replacement for Alvaro – the numbers speak for themselves. When he had good Radamel Falcao, a good Diego Costa, and a good Antoine Griezmann, we were closer to competing for everything to the end. Let’s hope that along with Costa, the growth of João Felix, Yannick Carrasco, and everyone else. We can improve and do better than last season.”
Simeone played a crucial role in bringing Suarez to the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. But he didn’t have to make many persuasions. “From the first moment we spoke, he was convinced that Atlético was the best place for him to show that he could still be an important player,” Simeone said. “I found in Suarez what we need in this club: excitement and hunger to be here”. Simeone also pointed to Suarez’s possible debut in Atlético’s game against Granada on Sunday. “He had a long and busy day on Friday,” said the Argentine coach. “He trained very well, with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, and will be selected for the squad. We’ll see if he starts or comes in the second half.”