Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday confirmed out-of-favor left-back Javi Galán’s departure for Osasuna, ending the Extremeduran’s two-and-a-half year stint in the Spanish capital.
Osasuna have agreed to pay a €500,000 transfer fee and — if the Navarrese club stays in LaLiga — an additional €500k for each season it remains in the top flight with Galán in the squad.
Galán has signed a short-term contract to the end of the season with Osasuna, which entered the holiday break sitting 12th in LaLiga but only three points clear of Girona in 18th place. The 31-year-old will be introduced at Osasuna’s Tajonar training facilities on Monday.
Selling Galán has been a priority for most of the year at Atlético. Despite appearing 37 times and making 31 starts in all competitions a season ago, Galán benefitted from a lack of genuine competition in his position; the best teams that Atleti played last season exposed him as a below-average defender, and the dual signings of Dávid Hancko and Matteo Ruggeri realistically ended Galán’s hopes that he would keep his place in the team.
Following the collapse of his proposed move to Nottingham Forest in August, Galán appeared in just seven games for a total of 314 minutes. In the last of his 56 appearances for Atleti, Galán delivered a pinpoint cross and assist to Antoine Griezmann, the winning goal of the 3-2 victory over Atlético Baleares in the Copa del Rey.
Galán first joined Atlético in a €4 million transfer from Celta Vigo in 2023, in a swap deal that saw Manu Sánchez head the other way. Galán had been one of LaLiga’s top left-backs for a couple seasons, but the move to Atleti proved too big a step for him; he made five appearances in the first half of the 2023/24 season before he was loaned to Real Sociedad for the remainder of the year. His shocking return to prominence last season came after a wonderful assist to Ángel Correa in a derby against Real Madrid — and after Simeone decided to return for a 4-4-2 formation.
Even while recognizing that Galán was not of the standard required, I quite liked the player for his professionalism and his combativeness on the pitch. Osasuna are signing a player who is a luxury to have in a fight against relegation, while Atleti will pursue a replacement to compete with Ruggeri.
