Agreed there. Its why i mentioned he will probably be great for atletico but was poor for us. However they still got mugged off for someone who had a far better reputation before he joined us and how desperate we were trying to offload him. Also no issue with simeone spending the cash, but im just a bit surprised they are spending so much on people who arent actually superstars yet. I wouldnt even expect united or city to spend that on Felix!
Given that Atletico are not notorious big spenders, then perhaps they have seen something/enough to believe the boy is the real deal (in which case they will get their money back and then some - keep or sell) .
That Joao Felix does look an unreal talent but €120m+ after one season is a huge risk for Atleti. In fairness to them they do have an elite scouting system especially when you consider many of their past signings but nonetheless this lad is gonna have to really produce at an early age in one of the best leagues in the world to make his price tag look worthwhile.
When you look at Atleti's record with strikers they rarely get it wrong. They will probably end up making a big profit on him in three years time.
Yeah no doubt but I'm losing the passion for it all. Nothing aimed at the fans gets cheaper...everything aimed at the clubs increases in wealth. Something somewhere isn't right
A bit annoying that under FIFA rule that CL penalty would not have stood and that law did not apply in the WWC final last night FFS sort the game out
Wasn't mate, the new law states that a ball that is deflected onto an arm/hand will not be classed as handball.
I posted it on your board just after the final. That is one of the changes for this season and it actually came into law on the day of the final but wasn't used.
The handball rule has also been re-written, but instead of explaining the changes, it’s better just to display the entire new rewritten rule. According to the newly written laws, the changes are: Deliberate handball remains an offense. The following ‘handball’ situations, even if accidental, will be a free kick: The ball goes into the goal after touching an attacking player’s hand/arm A player gains control/possession of the ball after it has touches their hand/arm and then scores, or creates a goal-scoring opportunity The ball touches a player’s hand/arm which has made their body unnaturally bigger The ball touches a player’s hand/arm when it is above their shoulder (unless the player has deliberately played the ball which then touches their hand/arm) The following will not usually be a free kick, unless they are one of the above situations: The ball touches a player’s hand/arm directly from their own head/body/foot or the head/body/foot of another player who is close/near [this would now put Moussa Sissoko’s opening-minute penalty in serious doubt, as it hit his chest before redirecting off his arm, although one could still argue it “made his body unnaturally bigger” which would still qualify it as a foul] The ball touches a player’s hand/arm which is close to their body and has not made their body unnaturally bigger If a player is falling and the ball touches their hand/arm when it is between their body and the ground to support the body (but not extended to make the body bigger) If the goalkeeper attempts to ‘clear’ (release into play) a throw-in or deliberate kick from a team-mate but the ‘clearance’ fails, the goalkeeper can then handle the ball
The new handball law is more explicit and some may say (particularly referees at lower levels who don't have VAR) more complicated. The old law stated that handball had to be deliberate and amongst the refereeing community that I belong to very few thought that Sissokos was. It was and remains subjective but at the highest levels there will now be twice as many penalties awarded as there will be from the championship down.
You say this, but a lot of the attacking players they've bought in the last 3 or 4 years have not been successes. Leo Baptistao, Raul Jimenez, Alessio Cerci, Cristian Rodriguez, Luciano Vietto, Jackson Martinez, Gelson Martins, Kevin Gameiro, Nicolas Gaitan, Thomas Lemar, Kevin Gameiro, Nikola Kalinic, re-signing Fernando Torres and Diego Costa (the latter for €65m)... Now they've signed Morata for £58m and Joao Felix for £113m... Their outlay on attacking players has been ridiculous and, based on all the aforementioned names, how many would you say have been good acquisitions? I've said this before, but my one gripe with Simeone is he doesn't have the tools to create a winning team capable of playing attractive football. He tried to at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, but they weren't getting results, so he reverted back to type and their results started to improve. He hasn't looked back since. Last season, Griezmann was the only reliable goalscorer in their team. Simeone knows how to organise a team, he can frustrate teams, he knows how to drill them well and make them work their asses off...but if you want to be entertained, if you want to see a style of play which you can't take your eyes off, he is not that man. This is my fear with Joao Felix. I don't think Atletico Madrid was the right club for his development. There are some players who can still shine even if the manager does not instil attacking principles. However, he is at an age where his talents need to be nurtured and refined, not curbed. It is difficult to build on that if your instincts are being blunted by the manager.
Atletico's spending seems to go under the radar, but they have invested a lot of money over the last 3 or 4 years (due to CL finishes and lengthy European runs). With that being said, my guess is the sales of Rodri and (prospectively) Griezmann will cover the fees for Morata and Joao Felix.