Atletico Madrid News
Atletico forward claims Real Madrid star held and pinched him during derby – report
According to Carrusel Deportivo (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Atletico Madrid forward Angel Correa has revealed that Real Madrid ace Antonio Rudiger was holding him and pinching him during the derby contest last night, which led to the Argentine’s action earning him a red card.
Correa was sent off during the derby, just a little after the hour mark for an alleged elbow on Rudiger. Despite having numerical advantage over their neighbours, Los Blancos failed to make the most of it and just about managed to earn a 1-1 draw and salvage a point.
Correa’s sending-off has become a major talking point in Spanish footballing circles. Now, the report is claiming that after the match the Argentine revealed in the Rojiblancos’ dressing room that Rudiger was all over him, holding him strongly and pinching him repeatedly.
In an attempt to push him away, Correa ended up elbowing him which Gil Manzano saw as a serious enough offence to issue a direct red card.
Atletico Madrid, for their part, deem the sanction by the referee as excessive and have made the decision to appeal against it with the Competition Committee next week in a bid to either overturn the red card or at least reduce his suspension sentence.
Several Atletico Madrid players, current and former, came out to hit out at the referee and his decision-making during the derby while manager Diego Simeone did not shy away from taking a dig at the officiating either.
What Atletico did manage to do is they have dented Real Madrid’s chances of retaining the La Liga title as the draw leaves them seven points off of leaders Barcelona, who could increase that gap to ten should they defeat UD Almeria later today.
There is no doubt that Atletico Madrid are bracing themselves for a busy summer ahead as they look to address the future of some of their star players. One of them is Saul Niguez, who has fallen out of favour under Diego Simeone and could leave the club.
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has offered an update on the future of the Spaniard, suggesting that the player has once again become a market attraction.
The versatile star was on loan at Chelsea last season, but his spell at Stamford Bridge was far from ideal, as he featured in less than 500 minutes of league football. He returned to Atletico Madrid in the summer, and even though he wanted to leave the club, a move did not materialise.
Saul was even linked with a move away from Atleti in January. But Valencia, who were interested in him at the time, could not afford the deal, particularly because of the player’s salary and transfer fees.
The report from Mundo Deportivo states that Valencia have retained their interest in the player. But in addition to Los Che, Saul has been targeted by two other Spanish teams in the form of Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla.
Rayo have expressed the desire to sign Saul in the coming season. But they are likely to face economic difficulties in funding a move for the midfielder. The same can be said for Sevilla.
Saul’s current contract at Atletico Madrid expires in 2026, a deal that was agreed when the player was at his peak. But the long contract has now come back to haunt Atleti, as they desperately look to get rid of the Spanish international.
With his suitors likely to face financial trouble in weighing up a move, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Saul in the coming summer.
Saul is not the only Atletico Madrid player facing an uncertain future, with Axel Witsel’s father also hinting at a possible exit recently.
