What Atlético Madrid Still Need Before the Transfer Window Closes

Atlético Madrid have already changed a lot.

New defenders.

A new midfield.

New creativity.

New personalities around the attack.

Kang-in Lee has arrived.

Ademola Lookman has arrived.

Álex Baena looks ready to become the player Atlético believed they were buying.

Morten Hjulmand has strengthened the centre.

Cristian Romero has added aggression and leadership to a defence that needed both.

Alejandro Grimaldo has finally given Simeone a natural attacking solution on the left.

This is not an incomplete reconstruction.

It is actually a very good squad.

But good squads can still have dangerous weaknesses.

And with the transfer window about to close, Atlético should resist the temptation to believe that most of the work being finished means all of the work is finished.

Because three areas still deserve attention.

One of them is urgent.

One of them is strategically important.

And one could transform an already exciting attack into something considerably more complete.

Atlético Madrid still need a striker. They should seriously consider another left-back. And if the right opportunity appears, one more natural wide attacker could complete the squad.

This should no longer be a debate.

Atlético need a striker before the market closes.

Not only if Julián Álvarez leaves.

Even if he stays.

Alexander Sørloth has started the season unavailable through injury.

Álvarez has spent the final weeks of the transfer window surrounded by uncertainty over his future.

And Simeone has already been forced to construct an attack without a recognised centre-forward, using players such as Lookman and other mobile attackers through the middle.

Atlético can survive like that.

They should not choose to live like that.

There is a major difference between tactical flexibility and positional scarcity.

Playing Lookman as a striker because a particular opponent creates the right spaces can be clever.

Playing Lookman as a striker because there is nobody else available is a problem.

Atlético being capable of playing without a number nine does not mean Atlético should enter a 50-match season without enough number nines.

Atlético's 3-1 victory in Sevilla demonstrated the exciting side of Simeone's new attack.

Baena could move centrally.

Lookman could attack space.

Kang-in Lee could drift between lines.

The front line could become fluid and difficult to track.

It worked.

And there will be matches where it works brilliantly.

But Atlético should not build their squad exclusively for the kind of games in which spaces already exist.

Think about the other matches.

A deep defensive block at the Metropolitano.

Twenty minutes remaining.

Ten opponents behind the ball.

Crosses arriving into the penalty area.

Centre-backs defending their own six-yard box.

That is when a real striker becomes invaluable.

Someone who occupies both centre-backs.

Someone who attacks the first post.

Someone who turns a Grimaldo cross into a genuine threat.

Someone whose positioning creates the second ball that Lee, Baena or Lookman can attack.

Fluid football can unlock many matches. Sometimes Atlético will still need somebody whose entire job is to be exactly where the goal is.

That is why the late interest in Jonathan David is logical.

Atlético do not necessarily need another €70 million centre-forward.

They need another credible one.

David offers movement.

Pressing.

Experience.

Goals.

And importantly, the ability to function both as the main striker and alongside another forward.

That matters enormously for Simeone.

If Álvarez stays, David does not have to arrive demanding that the entire attack be redesigned around him.

He can rotate.

He can start certain matches.

He can play next to Álvarez.

He can replace him.

He can give Sørloth recovery time rather than forcing the Norwegian immediately back onto the pitch.

Reports suggest Atlético are looking precisely at this kind of low-cost or loan opportunity, with David currently near the top of their list.

That is sensible squad construction.

Atlético do not need Jonathan David to become the face of the project. They need him to make sure the project never again reaches a weekend without a striker.

Then there is Nick Woltemade.

A completely different proposition.

At 1.98 metres, the immediate assumption would be obvious.

Target man.

Crosses.

Headers.

Physical football.

But Woltemade is more interesting than that.

His size is part of his game rather than the definition of it.

He can move away from the centre-backs.

He can receive between lines.

He can combine.

He can operate behind another striker.

And he offers Atlético a physical profile that very few of their other attacking players possess.

Reports in Spain indicate Atlético continue to monitor his situation at Newcastle and would be interested if a loan or financially attractive formula became possible.

The permanent price makes little sense for what Atlético currently need.

A loan could make enormous sense.

Jonathan David may be the safer solution. Woltemade may be the more tactically interesting one.

There is one enormous condition attached to all of this.

Julián Álvarez.

If he remains at Atlético, the objective is relatively simple:

add depth.

Find a striker capable of starting when required without demanding the financial commitment of another superstar.

But if Álvarez leaves, Atlético no longer need a backup striker.

They need a new leader of the attack.

Immediately.

That would require a different level of investment.

Different expectations.

And probably a different profile.

Atlético cannot sell one of the world's most valuable forwards and then pretend that Lookman, Sørloth and tactical improvisation constitute a complete replacement.

They would need somebody capable of producing elite numbers now.

Not in two years.

Not after development.

Now.

If Julián stays, Atlético need a third striker. If Julián leaves, Atlético need a new first striker. Those are two completely different transfer operations.

Alejandro Grimaldo solved one problem.

He may have created another question.

Who plays when he does not?

Matteo Ruggeri has left for Aston Villa.

That leaves Grimaldo as the obvious senior specialist on Atlético's left side.

Dani Martínez has given Simeone a very interesting answer from the academy.

His performance against Málaga earned praise.

He defended responsibly.

He joined attacks.

He looked comfortable enough to make the club reconsider whether an immediate replacement was absolutely necessary.

That is excellent news.

But Champions League squads should not confuse a promising solution with proven depth.

Grimaldo is 30.

Atlético expect to compete in LaLiga, the Champions League and domestic cups.

Simeone may use him as a wing-back one week and a conventional left-back the next.

The physical demand will be significant.

Grimaldo gives Atlético quality at left-back. The remaining question is whether they have enough security behind him.

This is where Jorge Salinas becomes interesting.

Not because Atlético urgently need to replace Grimaldo.

They do not.

But because the best squad-building decisions often solve tomorrow's problem before it becomes today's emergency.

Salinas is 19.

He already has clubs watching him closely.

Racing reportedly value him around his €16 million release clause, while Atlético have already explored formulas to bring him to Madrid.

That makes strategic sense.

Sign him now.

Allow him to learn behind Grimaldo.

Give Dani Martínez genuine competition.

And potentially secure Atlético's next long-term left-back before his price becomes significantly larger.

Not every transfer needs to solve the starting eleven.

Some should protect its future.

Jorge Salinas would not be a signing for the Atlético of September 2026. He could be a signing for the Atlético of 2028, 2029 and beyond.

There is another side to that argument.

Atlético finally have an academy player forcing his way into the conversation.

That should matter.

Dani Martínez should not disappear because the transfer market offers another shiny solution.

If Simeone genuinely trusts him, Atlético should be brave enough to trust their own development system.

Grimaldo as the starter.

Dani as the understudy.

Hancko capable of covering the defensive side of the position in emergencies.

That may be enough.

Especially if spending €15-16 million at left-back prevents Atlético from completing the striker signing they actually need.

Priorities matter.

Atlético should sign another left-back only if the opportunity is excellent. They should sign a striker because the necessity is obvious.

This question is more complicated.

Because Atlético already have plenty of attackers.

Lookman can play from the left.

Álex Baena naturally gravitates towards the left half-space.

Arnau Ortiz is a natural left winger.

Lee can move across the attacking line.

Giuliano can offer width and intensity.

On paper, there is no vacancy.

But football squads are not spreadsheets.

Profile matters.

And Atlético still lack one very specific profile:

a devastating natural wide player who wants to receive on the left touchline, attack the full-back repeatedly and create separation through pure one-against-one ability.

Lookman can do some of that.

But he may also be needed centrally.

Baena can begin from the left.

But his greatest value often comes when he enters central spaces.

The distinction matters.

Atlético have players who can play on the left. That is not exactly the same thing as having a specialist left winger.

Before Atlético spend again, however, they should look at what they already have.

Arnau Ortiz scored 23 goals and registered six assists for Atlético's second team last season.

He impressed Simeone throughout pre-season.

And he has earned his place around the first-team squad.

That changes the equation.

If Atlético had no natural left winger behind Lookman and Baena, another signing would make considerable sense.

But Arnau deserves minutes before the club spends €25 million simply to create another obstacle in front of him.

This is exactly what successful academies are supposed to do.

Not produce players only to sell them.

Produce players who occasionally save you from needing another transfer.

Arnau Ortiz does not have to prove he is already Atlético's starting left winger. He only has to prove Atlético do not urgently need to buy one.

This is the most encouraging thing about Atlético's current squad.

The attackers are not all versions of the same footballer.

Sørloth gives you size.

Álvarez gives you pressing, movement and goals.

Lookman gives you acceleration and directness.

Lee gives you manipulation and creativity between the lines.

Baena gives you imagination, passing and arriving from deeper positions.

Giuliano gives you aggression.

Arnau gives you natural width from the left.

That is what makes the possibility of adding one more striker so attractive.

Atlético do not need another attacker who duplicates somebody already there.

They need one who allows Simeone to combine all those different qualities more freely.

The objective should not be to collect attacking talent. It should be to give Simeone a different solution for every type of match.

This is equally important.

Atlético do not need to strengthen everywhere simply because the market remains open.

The midfield already has depth.

Pablo Barrios is becoming increasingly important.

Morten Hjulmand provides defensive structure and intensity.

Koke still offers control and experience.

Johnny Cardoso provides another physically capable option.

Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas add youth and depth.

Marcos Llorente can provide emergency flexibility.

Atlético could always sign a better midfielder.

Every club in Europe could.

But the final days of a transfer window are about marginal value.

Where does the next euro improve the squad most?

Right now, the answer is not central midfield.

Another midfielder would make Atlético deeper. Another striker could prevent the entire attacking structure from collapsing after one injury.

For years, this would have been the obvious place to demand another signing.

Not anymore.

Cristian Romero changes the hierarchy.

Robin Le Normand remains a proven centre-back.

Dávid Hancko offers quality, athleticism and left-footed progression.

José María Giménez, when available, still provides experience and aggression.

Marc Pubill can operate as part of the defensive line.

Atlético spent several summers trying to rebuild this area.

They should now allow the rebuild to work.

Unless another major departure occurs, signing another centre-back would represent luxury rather than necessity.

Atlético spent years searching for enough centre-backs. They finally have them. The final days of this market should be about fixing the other end of the pitch.

Strip away the transfer rumours.

Strip away the excitement of new names.

Strip away the temptation to make one more glamorous signing.

The hierarchy is relatively simple.

Priority One: a centre-forward.

This must happen.

Jonathan David looks like one of the most logical possibilities if Atlético can structure the deal economically.

Woltemade would be an intriguing alternative if Newcastle make a loan possible.

If Julián Álvarez leaves, however, Atlético must move into an entirely different category of striker.

Priority Two: a left-back for the future.

This should happen only if the deal represents genuine value.

Jorge Salinas fits that idea extremely well.

But Atlético should be perfectly comfortable beginning the season with Grimaldo and Dani Martínez if the alternative is overspending.

Priority Three: a left-sided one-against-one attacker.

This is not essential.

It is an opportunity.

If an elite profile unexpectedly becomes available on favourable terms, Atlético should explore it.

Otherwise, give Arnau Ortiz the opportunity he has earned.

Striker: necessary. Left-back: sensible. Left winger: desirable only at the right price.

Transfer windows create strange pressure.

The deadline approaches.

Supporters refresh their phones.

Agents begin offering players.

Prices change.

Rumours multiply.

Suddenly doing nothing can feel like failure.

It is not.

Atlético have already built most of the squad.

The objective now should not be activity.

It should be precision.

Do not spend €20 million on a left-back if Dani Martínez can perform the role.

Do not buy a winger merely because he is available if Arnau deserves those minutes.

Do not sign another midfielder because a famous name suddenly appears on the market.

But do not finish this window without another credible striker and then pretend the attacking depth is sufficient.

The final signing does not have to be the most exciting Atlético make this summer. It has to be the one they would regret most not making.

That is perhaps the most frustrating part.

Atlético are close.

Very close.

Oblak remains in goal.

Romero, Le Normand and Hancko provide a serious defensive foundation.

Grimaldo gives the left side technical quality it has lacked.

Barrios and Hjulmand could become the midfield partnership Atlético build around for years.

Baena looks revitalised.

Lee already looks capable of changing matches.

Lookman gives the attack explosiveness.

Giuliano gives Simeone exactly the type of competitive intensity he loves.

There are young players pushing from underneath.

This does not require another revolution.

It requires finishing.

One striker could change the level of security around the entire attack.

One smart young left-back could protect the squad for several seasons.

One unexpected market opportunity on the wing could add the final piece of unpredictability.

Atlético do not need to rebuild the squad before the window closes. They need to finish building it.

The final days of the market often reward clubs that know exactly what they are.

Atlético should know.

They have enough centre-backs.

They have enough central midfielders.

They have creators.

They have runners.

They have technical players.

They have several footballers capable of changing positions during a match.

What they do not have is enough certainty at centre-forward.

That must change.

Behind Grimaldo, there is a legitimate depth question at left-back.

That can change if the right opportunity appears.

On the left wing, there is room for another specialist.

But Atlético should first discover whether Arnau Ortiz can become that player himself.

The hierarchy matters.

Striker first.

Left-back second.

Winger only if the market gives Atlético something too good to ignore.

And if Julián Álvarez leaves before the deadline?

Tear up the first plan.

Take the money.

And buy a striker capable of becoming one of the faces of this new Atlético immediately.

Atlético Madrid are one important signing away from a much safer squad. Make it a striker — and only then start thinking about the luxury of making the rest even better.