Yesterday saw reports surface claiming that Diego Simeone had agreed a switch to Chelsea FC at the end of the season. However, such a move is baffling.
Spanish media outlet OK Diario shot to international prominence on Tuesday as they reported that Diego Simeone had agreed a move to Chelsea in the summer and that he had informed his superiors at Atletico Madrid about it.
Roman Abramovich has supposedly agreed to double the Argentine’s salary, affording the Atletico boss a pay package worth €12 million per year for an undisclosed length of time.
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The story has since been picked up by several leading British publications, who are all entertaining this as a somewhat serious report. However, swapping the Vicente Calderon for Stamford Bridge appears like a nonsensical move on Simeone’s part.
After spending four and a half seasons over two stints at Atleti as a player, Simeone returned to his favourite club in December 2011, this time in a managerial capacity. The last five years have seen him transform Atletico from perennial top four candidates into Champions League contenders and one of the finest clubs in the world.
It is for this reason that a switch to a struggling Chelsea FC beggars belief. Simeone has built something special in Madrid, but there is still work to be done. Having won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League, there is still a trophy missing from the cabinet.
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2014 was an incredible year for Los Colchoneros. They toppled Barcelona and neighbours Real Madrid to bring home their first league title since 1996, when Simeone was in the middle of his first spell as player. However, a 93rd minute Sergio Ramos header still burns in the hearts of Atleti fans, as the underdogs were denied victory in the Champions League final.
Despite a trophyless campaign last time out, Simeone signed an extension in March of 2015 that sees him committed to the club until 2020. This was a huge statement of intent from all involved parties given that rumours were swirling regarding a summer deaprture. For this reason, it seems unthinkable that Simeone would leave a club crafted in his image for one that is unstable and lacking any substance.
With icons such as Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech recently parting ways with Chelsea, in addition to the bizarre forecasted departure of John Terry, the Blues are rapidly descending into a generic foreign-owned entity. Fortunately, the loyal fanbase will always prevent such a situation to fully materialise, but it is hard to claim that players on the current roster bleed blue.
More concerningly, though, it is even harder to draw up a list of current Chelsea players who possess an ounce of the grit and determination that Simeone demands from his charges. Atletico have been successful because all of his players have bought into his philosophy and have backed him to the hilt. Eden Hazard and Oscar are just two of the names who would not fit the bill.
Of course, money will certainly play a part and if this mouth-watering prospective salary is genuine, then you cannot blame him for taking the job. However, he is not exactly being poorly remunerated at the Calderon and his emotional attachment and affinity for the club may provide sufficient compensation.
The one aspect that does make a Simeone-Chelsea marriage plausible is that the Blues’ current struggles make this a massive challenge for the Argentine. ‘Cholo’, as he is affectionately called, is evidently someone who relishes a test of his skills and reshaping this Chelsea side is certainly a stern one.
Having said that, he also appears like a man who will not be content leaving a job unfinished. Given how far Atletico have come under his stewardship, their task will not be complete until they capture Europe’s premier crown.
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Simeone has everything going for him at Atletico Madrid at the moment. Why would he leave for a club with a temperamental owner and a seemingly toxic internal atmosphere?