Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid submit request to sign former Real Madrid left-back on loan – report
As per Italian journalist Raimondo De Magistris, Atletico Madrid have formally submitted a request to sign Tottenham Hotspur left-back Sergio Reguilon on loan for the rest of the season.
Reguilon, a former Real Madrid player, left Los Blancos in the summer of 2020 to sign for Tottenham Hotspur. While he was a regular in the side for the first eighteen months of his stint in England, his game-time took a hit after the arrival of Antonio Conte as manager last year.
The Spaniard is completely out of favour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium currently, with Conte exiling him from first-team training and preferring to use Ryan Sessegnon and Ivan Perisic as the left-sided wing-backs.
Reguilon has been made available for sale and there have been multiple clubs interested in his signing. Lazio in Serie A are keen while there is also interest from newly-promoted Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
And now, as per the report, Atletico Madrid have also shown an interest in signing Reguilon and have submitted a formal request to bring him to the Civitas Metropolitano on loan for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.
Despite his past association with Real Madrid, Reguilon would welcome a transfer to Atleti, potentially due to the prospect of playing in the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid have Reinildo Mandava as their primary left-back at the moment. And with the second choice in the position, Renan Lodi, being linked with an exit, there would be room for Reguilon in Diego Simeone’s squad.
So, it will be interesting to see if the ex-Real Madrid star ends up making his way to the Metropolitano or decides to join some other club, as an exit from Tottenham Hotspur looms large for the left-back.
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid midfielder on the derby against Real Madrid: “Very difficult to beat them”
Following a 1-1 draw in their Champions League opener against Lazio, Atletico Madrid will shift all their attention to La Liga, as they brace themselves for the derby against Real Madrid this weekend.
Heading into this game, Atleti midfielder Marcos Llorente spoke about Real Madrid’s quality and Atletico Madrid’s chances of squeezing all three points from this iconic derby.
Llorente on Madrid derby
“The sensations are good. The team is very good, the other day we played a great game despite ending up drawing. I really think that the team did a great job that must be maintained for this match,” Llorente said in an interview with Diario AS.
When asked whether or not Real Madrid being tagged as favourites could aid Atleti, the midfielder said, “Honestly, it neither motivates me nor demotivates me. We simply have to do what we work on during the week, what the coach asks of us.”
Llorente stressed the importance of the game, adding, “It is a great rival we have in front of us, they are having a very good start to the season and that motivates me and everyone to try to play a good game.”
“Real Madrid is a great club, they have great players and it is very difficult to beat them. I think we have competed, we have also achieved several draws, but in the end, either you go out one hundred percent and do things very, very well or it is difficult to beat them,” he added.
A former member of the Real Madrid youth academy, Llorente joined Atletico Madrid in 2019. Since then, he has racked up over 150 competitive appearances for Los Colchoneros.
Llorente, though, said he feels no sense of vindication when he performs well against his former team.
“No. In the end, it’s been many years since I left there and I’m at Atlético. Perhaps in the first years, those types of feelings and sensations can arise, but today they no longer do,” he said.
Llorente on Vinicius, Koke & Bellingham
The Atletico Madrid star went on to talk about other aspects of the game, including the fact that his team had one less player every time they faced Real Madrid last season.
“I have zero worries. These are things that are not in our remit, that escape our hands. We play football, the referees referee and those who have to decide decide,” he said.
Llorente, in fact, said that the return of Koke could be a real boost for Atleti. “It is always good that Koke is with us, both on the field and in the day-to-day life of the game,” he said.
“Beyond the grass. The support he gives, the advice he gives us, his experience. it is always important to have him and it is great news that he is already training with us,” he added.
Talking about the absence of Vinicius Junior and the form of Jude Bellingham, Llorente said, “Well, you have to be careful with everyone. All Real Madrid players are very good and can make a difference at any moment of the game. Bellingham is having a great start and we have to take that into account and be very focused.”
Finally, Marcos Llorente put out a message for all the Atletico Madrid fans, claiming their support ahead of this crucial encounter this weekend.
“It will be a full house as always. We don’t have to tell them anything, they know the importance of this match for Atlético, we know that they never fail, they are always supporting us and we count on them,” he said.
