LaLiga 2019/2020: 4 proofs that show Atletico Madrid have done the best business so far in the transfer window

It is not an exaggeration to state that Atletico Madrid have arguably been the busiest European team in the ongoing transfer window, as the Spanish side have sold almost as many players as they have bought, and fans of the club have every right to be optimistic ahead of next season.

While there is the imminent risk of creating an imbalance in the team due to the upheaval such major squad overhauls cause, that would not be the case for Diego Simeone, as the Atletico manager has gone about his dealings in the market rather astutely.

Indeed, with just under two weeks to go till the start of the new LaLiga season and three weeks till the end of the transfer window, it could be argued that no club has done better business in the transfer market than Atletico Madrid.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting four proofs that show that Atletico Madrid have conducted the best business in the ongoing transfer market.

#1 Their transfer dealings have laid a solid foundation for the future

Joao Felix could lead the line at Atletico Madrid for the next decade

When Atletico Madrid won the LaLiga title and made it to the final of the Champions League in 2014, they did so on a shoestring budget with a squad of highly motivated and passionate unheralded players.

Given their buccaneering performance, it came as no surprise that most of the squad was poached over the next few years.

Thibaut Courtois and Diego Costa departed for Chelsea in the immediate aftermath of their heroics, Arda Turan and Raul Garcia left a season later, with the former going first to Barcelona before sliding into obscurity; while the latter went to Athletic Bilbao.

Captain Gabi's departure to Qatar at the end of the 2017/2018 season meant that only a handful of players from that memorable campaign remained, and fans must have forebode the time when all members of that illustrious team would depart.

That time happened to be last season, as Diego Godin, Felipe Luiz and Juanfran who were all bonafide members of Atletico Madrid's recent golden era bade their farewell at the final kick of a ball last season.

This very much marked the end of the era, but rather than look bleak, the future looks rather bright for the club.

Heading into next season, only new team captain Koke remains from that illustrious side, but unlike his colleagues, he is just 27 and very much still has a lot to offer Atletico Madrid.

Of the eight new senior arrivals at the club, only center-back Felipe (31), Kieran Trippier (28) and Hector Herrera (29) are above 25 years, while Joao Felix (19), Mario Hermoso (24), Renan Lodi (21), Ivan Saponjic (21) and Marcos Llorente (24) are all yet to hit their prime and very much have the future ahead of them.

These added to other established regulars at the club like Saul Niguez (24), Thomas Lemar (23) and Jose Jimenez (24) means that the future indeed looks very bright for Atletico Madrid.

While Godin and co. might have contributed an immense lot to Atletico's recent history, no player lasts forever and Atletico Madrid have prepared for their future very well by investing smartly in the transfer market.

#2 Their squad is arguably stronger than it was last season

Mario Hermoso impressed in LaLiga with Espanyol

So far in this window, Atletico Madrid have seen 14 players depart, and of the 14, only Diego Godin, Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez, Filipe Luis, Juanfran and Rodri were established regulars, with the rest being mostly dead weights who needed to be offloaded.

All six players mentioned above are quality players in their own right, whose absence would leave a hole in the Atletico Madrid squad. However, the club has gone about fixing those holes well.

Filipe Luis might be a defensively astute defender who knows his onions at left-back, but at 33, the Brazilian international is very much in the final stages of his career, and given the levels Atletico aspire to reach, it might be asking too much of him to partake in another gruelling season of top level football.

Kieran Trippier is an upgrade to Juanfran at right-back, and while Rodri impressed significantly in his one-year stay at Atletico to warrant a mega move to Manchester City, on evidence of what we have seen in glimpses at Real Madrid, Marcus Llorente has what it takes to step to the plate as Simeone's on-field enforcer.

Diego Godin was an absolute rock at the back, and ranked among the best five centre-backs in the world over the last five years. Thus replacing him would be hard if not downright impossible, but Atletico have signed Mario Hermoso who has seen his stock rise in LaLiga with his performances for Espanyol over the last few years.

Moreover, he would have Jose Jimenez for company, and the Uruguayan would have more than a few tips for him having partnered Diego Godin at club and international level for three years. There is also the highly experienced Stefan Savic in the heart of defense to complement the younger duo.

Antoine Griezmann is another whose departure hit hard, but the club brought in Joao Felix who arrives with a burgeoning reputation and immense amount of talent.

The Portuguese international is just 19 and could take the world by storm in the coming years. If he lives up to his billing and performs as expected, Atletico Madrid could well have him leading their line for the next decade.

There are also Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa in attack for the club who are more than capable of delivering the goods in front of goal.

The one departure which the club would feel the most is that of Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich, as at just 23, the French international very much has his future ahead of him, while the dearth of quality options in his position meant Atletico could not really replace him with a high profile arrival. They turned to 21-year-old Renan Lodi who arrived from Brazilian club Atletico PR for €21m for his first sojourn in European football.

All in all, though Atletico might have lost some quality players, it is undeniable that the club did their best in replacing them with quality upgrades or players with potential to surpass their predecessors' achievements and for this, Diego Simeone deserves immense praise.

#3 They conducted most of their business on time

Simeone conducted his business early

By the middle of July, Atletico Madrid had conducted most of their transfer dealings on the buying end, and thus could focus on the all important aspect of integration and team bonding ahead of next season.

The only major name still being linked with the club is that of James Rodriguez and given the system Simeone would likely deploy next season, the Colombian international is arguably not needed.

All of Atletico Madrid's priority signings were made with almost a month to go until the start of the new season and this goes in stark contrast to what is obtainable at most other top level clubs.

Manchester United only recently signed Harry Maguire and are linked with a number of other players with under a week till Premier League kick off. Real Madrid for all of the cash splashed so far still look short of legs in midfield and Barcelona are still without a backup to Jordi Alba at left-back.

The importance of conducting transfer business early cannot be overemphasized for clubs, as it gives the new players ample time to blend with their teammates and in this regard, Atletico Madrid can pat themselves on the back for a job well and speedily done.

#4 They still made profit

Antoine Griezmann's sale brought in €120m for Atletico Madrid

On first read, seeing that Atletico Madrid bought eight new players, but sold only six, with the rest either leaving on loan or for free raises alarm bells that the club must have operated at a loss in the transfer market. However, a deeper inquiry at the situation reveals that the reverse is actually the case.

Joao Felix (€126m) accounted for the bulk of their expenditure, while Marcos Llorente (€30m), Mario Hermoso (€25m), Felipe (€20m), Renan Lodi (€20m) and Ivan Saponjic (€500th) all arrived for more modest sums for a grand total of €243.5m on player purchases in the ongoing transfer window.

By contrast, Antoine Griezmann (€120m), Lucas Hernandez (€80), Rodri (€70m), Gelson Martins (€30m) Luciano Vietto (€7.5m) and Bernard Mensah (€3.6m) all departed for the combined sum of €311.1m, giving Los Rojiblancos a net spend of €67.6m.

That figure represents the profit made so far, barring any other purchases or departures and this is undeniably good business by Atletico Madrid. Football is big business and like all other business ventures, the endgame is profit.

While the inner working of Financial Fair Play and its breach might still be cryptic to most football fans, this writer included, it is safe to say that Atletico are well positioned having posted a profit so far in the window and this is not something any other top club in Europe can boast of at the moment.