Atletico Madrid Transfer Analysis and Overview
One of the biggest La Liga clubs, Atletico Madrid has been striding forward towards a bright future in recent years through implementing a calculated transfer strategy. Originally founded in 1903, the Madrid-based outfit broke their ties with Athletic Bilbao and established themselves with the name of Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Since lifting their first La Liga title in 1940, they have been continuing their exploits in the Spanish domestic tournaments off the back of some legendary players, who were brought in through some big transfer moves.
Under the guidance of the legendary coach Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid has also made a mark in European football by winning the first-ever UEFA Europa League title in the 2011/12 season. The Spanish club is one of the richest clubs in the world of football, with its enterprise value rising to $2.1 billion in 2024. As a result, a lot of young talents and renowned footballers across the leagues have come to the club through some big money moves. In the 2024/25 calendar year, Atletico Madrid has spent over $1.9 billion on its transfers, bringing in top talents and young prospects from English football and other major leagues.
Atletico Madrid’s journey has seen them winning 11 La Liga titles, 10 Copa del Reys, three Europa Leagues and as many UEFA Super Cups, displaying its love affair with silverware.
Atletico Madrid Transfers Club Performance History
Atletico Madrid was a club that focused on local and academy talents rather than going after foreign players in his early years. However, things changed in the 2000s as the Spanish club started to recruit big names by spending a lot of money to lure in the best footballers from across the world. Under the Argentine manager Diego Simeone, the Rojiblancos have overseen the transfers of some of the big names in football over the last 10-12 years, bringing in the likes of Diego Costa, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez, Mario Mandzukic, Alavaro Morata etc. With the help of these players, Atletico has challenged its two biggest rivals in La Liga – Real Madrid and Barcelona in the domestic campaign and has gotten the better of them several times in all competitions.
Ever since the current CEO and major shareholder of Atletico Madrid Miguel Angel Gil Marin gave the green signal to Simeone for bringing in top footballers to match the squad level of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the club has been very busy in the transfer market. Their history in the transfer market has also been splendid, given the performances of the recruited players across all competitions.
Atletico Madrid Transfer Strategy and Philosophy
Atletico Madrid’s most success in domestic football came before 2000. Back then, the Spanish club mainly focused on nurturing its home-grown talents and promoting them to the senior team. They were fielded alongside some big names who were acquired through big transfers. This strategy brought the La Liga giants a lot of silverwares in the past.
But, after a series of poor seasons after the 2000s forced them to break the bank. Atletico has always opted for a cunning transfer strategy which has been beneficial for the team. The club always goes after the underrated players who have high potential. Talk about Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann in this regard. These players arrived at Wanda Metropolitano at a lower price but contributed a lot to its recent success. However, Someone is now recruiting renowned players to build a formidable squad by going big in the transfer market.
Atletico Madrid Transfer 2024 Challenges & criticisms
Atletico Madrid became a recognisable force in European football last decade after featuring in two UEFA Champions League finals. Two losses in the finals could not bring down their morale as they went on to win the 2018 UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. But, their performance has taken a downward turn ever since. In the last two years, they have managed to win La Liga titles two times only, the last one coming in 2021.
In the past few years, Atletico Madrid has been very busy in both summer and winter transfer windows to buy new players to strengthen their squad. Many players have failed to live up to their high price tags, while some showed great character to blend in the club’s environment soon after arrival. In order to find success in European football, the Madrid club has secured many transfers, with some of them costing them over $60 million.
The likes of Joao Felix, Nicolas Gaitan and Thomas Lemar have already gone down as the worst signings in the history of Atletico Madrid after these high-profile signings failed to impress. Many in the club management believe that these players were signed in a hurried move to tackle the chaotic situation of the club following some poor results. Even a section of fans demanded the resignation of Diego Simeone in 2023 after some news regarding faulty transfer policy came to the fore.
Most Expensive Atletico Madrid Transfers
In recent years, Atletico Madrid has splashed a hefty amount on bringing in world-class talents. In their quest for UEFA Champions League glory and other top domestic titles, challenged by other major clubs, the Rojiblancos have spent a lot to secure top players. In 2024, they brought the World Cup winner Julian Alvarez from Manchester City on a transfer deal worth around £82.7 million to bolster their attack. Coach Diego Simeone has hinted at a few more additions as well.
| Player | Transfer Amount (in Euros) | From (Club) | Year of transfer |
| Joao Felix | £127.5 million | Benfica | 2019 |
| Julian Alvarez | £82.7 million | Manchester City | 2024 |
| Thomas Lemar | £72 million | AS Monaco | 2018 |
| Diego Costa | £60 million | Chelsea | 2018 |
| Conor Gallagher | £34 million | Chelsea | 2024 |
Atletico Madrid Transfers New Signings 2024/25
The Spanish giants have made significant moves for some of the biggest talents in the 2024/25 season to strengthen their squad. Their latest recruit Juan Musso, the 30-year-old Argentine goalkeeper, has arrived from Atalanta on a loan deal in 2024. This most prolific signing is definitely Julian Alvarez, who has joined Diego Simeone’s team on a £82.7 million transfer move from Manchester City after failing to garner favor from Pep Guardiola at Etihad.
Atletico Madrid also signed the young English playmaker Conor Gallagher from Chelsea in September 2024 for a fee of £34 million to bolster their midfield. Former Barcelona center-back Clement Lenglet has also been brought in this year along with Robin Le Normand, for a combined fee of £25 million. Lenglet has joined on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy.
| Player | From (club) | Transfer fee |
| Julian Alvarez | Manchester City | £82.7 million |
| Conor Gallagher | Chelsea | £34 million |
| Clement Lenglet | Barcelona | On loan |
| Alexander Sorloth | Villarreal | £32.4 million |
| Robin Le Normand | Real Sociedad | £25 million |
Atletico Madrid Transfers All Outgoing 2024/2025
Atletico Madrid has gone through a busy summer transfer window in 2024 as there have been many arrivals and departures at the Spanish club this season. Recently, they have parted ways with their most expensive signing Joao Felix, who was signed in 2018 from Benfica on a record £127.5 million transfer deal. After he failed miserably to lead the attack of Simeone’s side, scoring just 25 goals across all competitions, he was sold to Chelsea for £46.3 million this year. Also the likes of Alvaro Morata, Stefan Savic, Calgar Soyoncu, and Gabriel Paulista have left the Madrid capital in 2024.
| Player | To (Club) | Transfer fee |
| Joao Felix | Chelsea | £46.3 million |
| Samu Aghehowa | FC Porto | £12.2 million |
| Alvaro Morata | AC Milan | £11 million |
| Caglar Soyoncu | Fenerbahce | £6.4 million |
| Stefan Savic | Trabzonspor | Free transfer |
Top Signings for Atletico Madrid in 2024/25
Atletico Madrid has had a great summer transfer window as the Spanish club has made several high-profile signings to build an elite squad. Amongst the lot coming in the 2024/25 season, a few players especially Julian Alvarez and Robin Le Normand have impressed most and are regarded as the top signings for the club by its supporters.
After the departure of Joao Felix and Alvaro Morata, Diego Simeone has found a gem of a player in the form of the Argentine World Cup winner. The central forward has already racked up 9 goals and one assist in 20 appearances across all competitions. Upon the arrival of the Spanish center-back Le Normand, Atletico’s backline was transformed into a fortress.
Worst Signings for Atletico Madrid in 2024-25
It’s not the right time to label any of the new players of Atletico Madrid who have joined the club this season as the worst signing, given their limited stay so far at Wanda Metropolitano. When Conor Gallagher arrived from Chelsea, he received mixed reactions from the fans in his initial days at Madrid. However, he has been coming into the fold quite perfectly. Until November 2024, players like Sorloth, Alvare,z and Le Normand have shown strong characters both on and off the pitch. The Barcelona loanee Lenglet has missed a couple of games due to injury and is expected to find acceleration soon.
Atletico Madrid transfer Spend Till Now (2024/25 season)
Atletico Madrid is the third most influential club in La Liga after Real Madrid and Barcelona. As one of the richest soccer clubs in Europe, the Madrid-based team has been on a spending spree in the summer transfer window this year. They have spent millions of euros to buy players like Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth to strengthen their team. Backed by the financial stability of the club’s management, the Spanish club is still in the market, looking for top talents. Without violating any FFP rule, they have recorded to account for more than £120 million as their net spend this season.
| Total Spent | Total Received |
| £145.4 million approximately | £73.6 million approximately |
