What next for Atletico Madrid after CL exit
LONDON: Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho has refused to commit his future to the Premier League club, saying he does not know whether he will be the subject of a transfer bid in January.
Barcelona made repeated efforts during the summer window to land the Brazil international but were rebuffed each time, leaving him frustrated.
Since then speculation has continued to swirl over the future of the 25-yearold, who scored a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 7-0 demolition of Spartak Moscow on Wednesday, with his Catalan suitors reportedly ready to make another approach.
“I am at Liverpool and I always do my best when I have the opportunity to play, respecting the jersey and the supporters,” said Coutinho, who has scored nine goals in 13 appearances this season.
“I do not know how the future is going to be. What will happen in January, MADRID: Twice finalists in the last four seasons, Atletico Madrid’s Champions League campaign came to an abrupt end this time round as they failed to reach the last 16 for the first time in five seasons.
Diego Simeone admitted his side were “condemned” by their inability to beat Azerbaijani Champions League debutants Qarabag over two games as despite taking four points from a possible six off group winners Roma, they finished third also behind Chelsea in Group C. Having just moved into a new 310 million euro ($367 million) stadium at the Wanda Metropolitano, which will host next season’s Champions League final, and broken the club’s transfer record to bring Diego Costa back to the Spanish capital in January, an early Champions League exit is also an untimely financial blow.
FINANCIAL FALLOUT In six years in charge Simeone has transformed Atletico from perennial underachievers on the field which has in turn dragged the economic power of the club into Europe’s elite.
According to Deloitte’s Football Money League, Atletico had the 13th highest income in world football in the 2015/16 season and revenue is expected to increase in the long run thanks to the greater capacity of the Wanda Metropolitano. However, Atletico made 69.6 million euros in prize money and TV revenue from the Champions League alone in 2015/16.
Even with an extended run in the Europa League, Madrid sports daily AS reported on Wednesday Atletico are likely to pick up just 30 million euros from a failed European campaign.
PLAYER EXODUS? Atletico will be able to register new players for the first time in 18 months from January 1 after a Fifa imposed transfer ban with nearly 100 million euros already committed to the signings of Costa and Spanish international Vitolo.
The club also made a huge financial effort to put key players Antoine Griezmann, Koke and Saul Niguez on improved contracts during the transfer ban.
Spanish media reported on Wednesday that at least two and possibly three players will need to be sold in January to help Atletico balance the books.
Atletico’s fear remains that Griezmann, the club’s top scorer for the past three seasons, will be lured away come the summer with his 100 million euro buyout clause easily attainable for interested giants like Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid. we will know it in January. I do not know if there will be an offer.
“Last summer there was a job offer in the same way that happens with any employee and I was interested in it. Since I stayed I have played with will and desire.”
Coutinho’s hat-trick was his first for the club and he hailed the achievement of making the latter stages of the Champions League as a significant moment.
“It was a special night due to the result and because I had the armband in such an important game playing for a club like Liverpool,” added the player, who captained the side at Anfield.
“For sure this is my most important hat-trick. In the Champions League it was my first one. I scored one for Brazil but this was more important.”
Defender Joe Gomez said Europe’s top clubs have every reason to fear Liverpool.
They finished the group stage with 23 goals — second-highest in the all-time list behind Paris Saint-Germain’s 25 from the current campaign — and although they avoided the likes of PSG and Barcelona, potential last-16 opponents include Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid.
“We believe we can beat anyone and we have to have that mentality,” said Gomez.