Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone gave little away as he spoke to the media for the first time in 2026, ahead of his team’s visit to take on Real Sociedad on Sunday in San Sebastián.
Asked about the transfer
window, he said that, “until the transfer window closes, we don’t know exactly what might happen.
“We have a plan, of course, and we hope it will be the one we want at the end of January,” he said.
The departures of Javi Galán to Osasuna and Carlos Martín to Rayo Vallecano have already been confirmed, with no incomings appearing close.
Diego Simeone on reinforcements for the left side
“Yes, we always deal with the club in the most direct way to understand what we need. We talk about it among ourselves and, depending on what happens, we will adapt and look for what is best for the team.”
Diego Simeone on goals for the new year
“I start the year with very good energy, as always, with the enthusiasm of being where I want to be and, obviously, thinking about each day as I have done since the first day I arrived.”
Diego Simeone on Giacomo Raspadori’s situation
“He keeps working. Raspadori has always worked with responsibility since the first day he arrived. His commitment, his work, his dedication in how he trains does not indicate anything related to a departure. But this is football, and everything can change from one day to the next. We are open, as always, to whatever happens. We’ll manage it in the same way, thinking about the next game, which is the most important thing we have.”
Diego Simeone on transfer business
“It’s always related to what’s best for the team and, obviously, correspondingly, what’s best for the club. We’ve always managed it that way and we’re not going to change our approach.”
Diego Simeone on the objective in the league
“We’re thinking about Real Sociedad; we don’t look beyond one game at a time. We know that our opponents have a new coach who will surely arrive with a lot of enthusiasm, and whenever there is a change, the players always try to give their best with the new coach. We have seen how (Pellegrino Matarazzo) worked with his previous teams. That doesn’t mean he will follow the same pattern as with his previous teams, but it will be related to what, I imagine, he will see in the Real Sociedad players, and we will have to play the game where we think we can hurt them.”
Diego Simeone on the return of José Giménez
“We already know that José Giménez is a very important player for the team, one of our captains, and now he’ll surely be competing with Marc Pubill, Robin Le Normand, and Dávid Hancko, who are also playing at a high level. It will be good, healthy competition, which will obviously improve the team.”
Diego Simeone on his relationship with Mateu Alemany
“We’re just getting to know each other, we’ve only known each other for a very short time. It’s not that I don’t want to get involved, because I don’t like the word ‘involved,’ but I said what I thought because I had only known him for a very short time. And now we’re moving forward. I think time plays a part in how relationships develop, especially with actions, and that’s where we are. We’re getting to know each other, we’re very excited, and we’re eager to create things that will help the team. We talk every day, we have a good relationship, and we hope to keep it that way for the good of the team.”
