Exciting behind-the-scenes detailsJulian Alvarez has made up his mind. The Atletico Madrid forward wants out, and after failing to pin down coach Diego Simeone for a face-to-face meeting to ask for help leaving the club, the Argentine told those present at the sports city that he would no longer work with the team and that they should not count on him.
According to the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, Alvarez, 26, erupted on Monday after being unable to speak with Simeone and ask for his help in engineering an exit from Atletico Madrid. He has wanted this move for some time, having announced it during the last World Cup.
Barcelona remains the plan. When the forward turned up today to find his coach absent, off in Ibiza for a two-day break, and chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin also away, he told those present that he would not back down and that they should not count on him.
In the player’s view, according to the newspaper, Simeone lacked the courage to confront the problem and speak with him, despite knowing full well that Alvarez wanted the meeting to break the deadlock around his situation.
What Alvarez did not expect was for his coach to head off to Ibiza. His presence today and his desire for a conversation were known to everyone.
Club FriendliesMarseilleOM14 Aug 202623:30Atletico MadridATMClub FriendliesBaselBAS16 Aug 202622:30BarcelonaBARGil Marin is the other man who could help resolve the situation, and he too was on holiday and unavailable. That has left Alvarez fuming.
The Argentine wanted to sort things out through dialogue, as “Mundo Deportivo” has previously reported, but he was never given the chance.
So his patience snapped. Alvarez told those present today that this matter would have consequences.
He put it in his bluntest terms: “Do not count on me”. The other message was that he would not back down.
From Wednesday, Alvarez is expected to start acting on his decision, the day Simeone is due back to lead training. The coach will have no excuse then for ignoring the message.
Alvarez says his club promised him back in February that he could leave this summer. He is holding firm and pushing with everything he has to force through his move to Barcelona.
