For Iberian clubs outside of Real Madrid and Barcelona, it has been tremendously difficult to keep hold of top talent.
Atletico Madrid are bucking the trend to some extent, having seen off interest in the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Jan Oblak and Saul Niguez to make an established big three in La Liga, but for others it has proved far more difficult.
With the riches that are on offer in the Premier League and some of Europe’s other top clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus, teams from outside the elite have to accept now more than ever that players won’t stick around for too long.
Whilst it is ultimately disappointing for supporters, the clubs themselves can ultimately benefit from it. With good recruitment and smart investment key at clubs where funds aren’t as infinite as those above them, there are
Sevilla are one team who have certainly benefited from such a model, finding diamonds in the rough and selling them on for a hugely inflated price in the future. They have done so with the likes of Dani Alves, Ivan Rakitic, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Carlos Bacca and Kevin Gameiro, to name but a few.
Atletico meanwhile have had a revolving door of talented strikers at their club, featuring Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan, Falcao, Jackson Martinez and Mario Mandzukic to where they are now with Griezmann and Diego Costa. Diego Simeone’s side have now reached a stature where they can keep hold of their best players and add to them, having worked the model perfectly.
