Julián Álvarez made his long-awaited return to Atlético Madrid headquarters on Monday to begin his preseason with the Colchoneros amid a long and ugly transfer saga as he looks to force a move to Barcelona, and the Argentina forward was not a happy camper when the day ended.
According to a report from veteran writer Joan Poquí of Mundo Deportivo, Julián was planning to speak with coach Diego Simeone after training to explain his situation and officially request a move, but he found out Simeone had
decided to take a two-day vacation in Ibiza with his family following Atlético’s tour of Asia.
Álvarez then found out Atlético CEO Gil Marín was also absent from his office, and that was enough to set Julián off.
It’s worth reproducing here the words from the report translated as accurately as possible to reflect exactly what the writer’s information is:
“As Mundo Deportivo has learned, the Argentine striker believes his coach lacked the courage to confront this problem and speak with him, knowing he intended to do so to try and resolve the situation. In fact, Julián didn’t expect his coach to leave for Ibiza when it was public knowledge that he was arriving [on Monday] and wanted to talk to him.
“He’s also fed up with Gil Marín, the other person who could help him resolve his situation, but who, coincidentally, was also on vacation and couldn’t speak with him. The Argentine player wanted to address his situation through dialogue, but they won’t let him.
“As a result, Julián has already warned those present with him [on Monday] that his patience had run out and that there would be consequences. ‘Count me out,’ was one of his clearest messages. The other was that he’s going to stand his ground.
“Álvarez, who claims to have had a promise from his club since February to transfer him this summer, has now completely lost his temper and is going all out to force his move to Barça.”
That’s some damning stuff.
The phrase “his coach lacked the courage to confront the problem” is perhaps the most shocking part, and it shows that Álvarez’s frustration has now reached a breaking point.
If you were to believe Julián’s side of the story, he was given the promise in February that Atlético would not stand in the way of his dream move to Barça and that promise has been broken, and the way he was treated on Monday certainly feels like a slap in the face.
Julián wanted to stay professional through the whole process and had requested a private meeting on Monday with Simeone and Martín, but neither were present and it’s not hard to understand why.
This is officially ugly now, and it looks like things will only get worse as the week goes on.
