Rafel Menin revealed that the club is already studying market possibilities; the manager also mentioned Arsenal in the comparison
Reinforcements in sight? Departures? In a press conference this Saturday (6/7) at Arena MRV, Rafael Menin, one of Atlético’s SAF managers, commented on the club’s mid-season transfer window. The businessman explained that Galo will make a more modest move, since it brought in more players at the beginning of 2025. “What’s the difference between this year and last year? Last year, in the first transfer window, only Scarpa arrived. In the middle of the year, five athletes arrived, if I’m not mistaken. This year, we brought in more athletes at the beginning of the year and a smaller transfer window was planned for the middle of the year. So, two or three athletes may leave. Two or three athletes may arrive, with the goal of having a better squad.” “Of course, when you don’t have all the tools at hand, it’s a little more difficult. So, Paulo (Bracks) has already said that it won’t be a window of abundance. The most aggressive window was at the beginning of the year. We’re going to try to work with a lot of professionalism and responsibility to create a window in which Galo can make some adjustments to have a squad that’s a little more competitive than it currently is,” he said.
Menin also said that Atlético is aware of which points need to be improved. “Galo has a good squad, it has its weaknesses, it has its strengths. Maybe we can address some of these problems and not others,” he explained.
Also at a press conference, Rafael Menin said that this type of calculated move is common, especially in relation to each club’s budget and planning. To justify his point, he drew a parallel with two international clubs: Real Madrid, from Spain, and Arsenal, from England. “In the Copa del Rey final, Real Madrid played against Barça, Real Madrid played without a defender. Real Madrid didn’t have a full-back. Arsenal, I think, is an interesting example. They were doing really well in the competitions and lost a bit of strength this year because they didn’t have a striker in the squad. They got injured and didn’t replace them. They had a budget and couldn’t replace them.” “We don’t have a magic wand. People often say that Atlético should have had an extra defensive midfielder, a midfielder. Everyone has their own opinion. But we don’t have a magic wand. It’s much more complex. That goes for us, for Real Madrid, who played the final without a defender, and for Arsenal, who had to play part of the Champions League and Premier League without a striker. It’s not easy,” he said.
Regarding transfers and reinforcements, Rafael Menin said that the work has been underway by Paulo Bracks, Atlético’s CSO, for the past two months. “Will we be able to have complete success in this (transfer window)? No. Will we have any success? I hope so,” he concluded.
