Atlético get to work reshaping the squad: January transfer roundup

Mateu Alemany has stamped his authority on his role as Atlético Madrid Director of Men’s Football this week.

Two first-team players have exited the club, and rumours surrounding their replacements are starting to gather momentum.

Elsewhere, it has been a period of turnover in the women’s team, and the academy has seen a shock departure of its own.

Into the Calderón brings you a roundup of all the dealings from the last 10 days of the January transfer window below.

Jack and Conor say “ciao” and “goodbye”

It was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Conor Gallagher was putting an end to his 18-month stint at Atleti, with his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur made official. The Englishman notched up 77 appearances in red and white, scoring seven goals.

Gallagher will perhaps be remembered most fondly for scoring a goal that caused one of the loudest and wildest scenes the Estadio Metropolitano has even witnessed, when he put Atlético 1-0 up against Real Madrid within a minute as the team looked to overturn a Champions League first-leg deficit in March.

The club are expected to make back the transfer fee they paid for him in the summer of 2024, with an expected €40 million coming in. This can be considered good business for a player who struggled to unlock his full potential in the Spanish capital.

Joining Gallagher out the exit door is Giacomo Raspadori, who has joined Atalanta BC in an astonishing turn of events. For weeks it appeared that Italian rivals AS Roma were the nailed-on destination for “Jack”, but they weren’t able to secure the all-important nod of approval from the player himself.

Having only arrived last summer, it was important not to lose any money on the deal, and Alemany has managed to secure the €23 million back that Atlético originally paid to Napoli just six months ago.

Whilst emotion may cloud the opinion, it’s clear as to why he has been sold. A forward who doesn’t quite fit along the front line and is far down the pecking order will never flourish long-term in a Diego Simeone team. What is also certain is that being at Atlético Madrid has made an impression on Raspadori that will stay with him for the rest of his career.

Interest in Premier League replacement

According to sources Italian transfer journalist Matteo Moretto and the Spanish newspaper Marca, Atleti are looking to sign João Gomes of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 24-year-old has four years left on his contract and is highly rated by his club, meaning he won’t come cheap. Other clubs such as Manchester United and Napoli also have registered interest in the Brazilian, but Alemany is making him a top priority to replace Gallagher.

Gomes plays mainly as a typical central midfielder, but can do the job in a more defensive role too. He has played 20 times in the Premier League this season, as his Wolves team have become resigned to relegation and are on course to register the worst-ever points tally in the league’s history.

It is then understandable why Gomes may want out, and a shot at Champions League football instead of Championship football.

Giuliano signs bumper renewal

We all know how important he has become to this Atlético Madrid team, but now Giuliano Simeone has a contract which reflects that.

Signed officially on Thursday after months of negotiations, the youngest of the Simeone sons has extended his affiliation with the club of his life to 2030 with a reported €500 million release clause.

That means should any club want to guarantee his signature, they’ll have to fork out half-a-billion euros, although as Marca so eloquently put it: “his heart is a bigger guarantee than any clause.”

One in, two out for Femenino

Beni Rubido is Alemany’s counterpart in Atlético Madrid women’s team. He has also hit the ground running in his first window in the job.

Two players have left for the Americas, and one player from the continent comes in via Russia.

Forward Gabriela Garcia has left the club after a two-and-a-half-year spell, and eight years total in Spain. Having signed from Real Sociedad in 2023, she went on to make 88 appearances, scoring 12 times. Garcia now heads to Mexican side Club América and will join former Atleti star Irene Guerrero in the squad.

Joining Garcia in the departures lounge is midfielder Ana Vitória, who heads back to her native Brazil. The 25-year-old initially joined Atlético on loan in January 2024 after her move to PSG only saw her make two league appearances. Since then, she went on to make 66 appearances for Las Rojiblancas, but a number of injuries saw her playing time limited to bursts here and there.

Vitória has signed for Corinthians, a club from the city of São Paulo.

Arriving as an attacking replacement is Costa Rican international Priscila Chinchilla. The 24-year-old has signed as a free agent, but was recently playing for FC Zenit in Russia, where she spent just under two years.

Not a stranger to the cold, Chinchilla also spent nearly three years at Glasgow City in Scotland, where she scored an amazing 42 goals in 50 league games, while featuring in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. She was also voted as the best player in the Scottish league in 2022.

Shock Madrileño exit

It appears the world of multi-club ownership continues to rear its influential head, as Atleti youth product Omar Janneh has signed for FC Lausanne-Sport — an INEOS-owned club.

The teenage striker has been a key figure throughout the academy teams he has played for, most recently for Atlético Madrileño, where he has featured 14 times this season in their bid for promotion to the second division. Janneh has also appeared a number of times in various first-team squads for away fixtures in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

He departs looking for a strategic route into senior football, heading to a first division in a smaller footballing country, signing for a club under the same sphere of ownership as Manchester United and OGC Nice.

Hugo Humanes of Inter Milan’s U20s has come in as a replacement.