Besides the Barcelona transfer saga and Real Madrid’s revamp, the other La Liga clubs have been fairly busy too in this transfer window.
2020/21 champions Atletico Madrid are coming off a disappointing campaign as they failed to defend their title. However, Diego Simeone and co. are confident about their La Liga 2022 odds next term but they’ll need a couple of tweaks.
Meanwhile, Sevilla have been active sellers in the market and they’ve yet to get their first marquee signing, while fellow Champions League contenders Real Betis are doing their best to retain their core while searching for some team-friendly deals.
Read on below as we bring to you the latest La Liga 2022 updates.
Atletico Madrid to reshape their whole roster
Here at SBOTOP, we previously highlighted the fact that Los Rojiblancos have big gaps to fill to keep pace with the El Clasico giants.
Several departures have already been finalized as Sime Vrsaljko and Luis Suarez are both expected to play elsewhere in 2022/23, while backup goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte will return to Monaco after riding the bench for much of the 2021/22 season.
Vrsaljko joined Atletico from Sassuolo in 2016 and made 100 appearances over the course of five seasons, but he never quite won the trust of Diego Simeone despite Kieran Trippier’s departure.
Suarez, on the other hand, was the club’s second-leading scorer behind Angel Correa last term. The 35-year-old has scored 34 goals in 83 games for Atleti and reports indicate that he is pondering a move away to Europe to possibly join an MLS team in the US.
Atletico Madrid signed Axel Witsel on a free after four years at Borussia Dortmund, while they’ve also announced the returns of Alvaro Morata and Saul Niguez after being away on loan. They’re hopeful that Morata and Niguez would feel like new signings following their underwhelming stints with Juventus and Chelsea respectively.
Diego Simeone is keen to add young blood into his roster so they went out and got 22-year-old Samuel Lino from Portuguese side Gil Vicente, and they have their eyes on the likes of Udinese’s Nahuel Molina and Mallorca’s Pablo Maffeo.
On paper, Atletico Madrid are considered contenders given their strong roster, so it’s all about finding form and consistency in 2022/23.
Sevilla cannot afford to lose more defenders
Los Palanganas boasted the top defence in La Liga last season as they’ve only conceded 30 goals total and they have Jules Kounde, Diego Carlos, and Ludwig Augustinsson to thank a lot for that.
However, Sevilla are in danger to lose all three of them in one summer as Carlos and Augustinsson are off to Aston Villa, while Kounde is a highly-coveted and is reportedly close to leaving the club amid interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.
Sevilla are trying to compensate by bringing in Marcao from Galatasaray to replace Diego Carlos, while they’re also keeping tabs on Benoit Badiashile – who is also a young prospect that’s attracting a ton of interest around Europe.
Other than their backline, Julen Lopetegui’s side is also looking to strengthen their midfield, with Giovani Lo Celso as their primary target.
Lo Celso was loaned out by Tottenham last season. And following the arrival of Yves Bissouma at North London, the Argentine may seek a move back to Spain given his limited opportunities.
Sevillla will propose a bid for him but they’ll face resistance against Villarreal, who Lo Celso played for last term via loan.
Real Betis likely to run it back
Last summer, Real Betis were under pressure to offload some of their squad since their revenues were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but their decision to stay put has paid dividends as they managed to win the Copa del Rey title to end their 17-year drought last season.
And after having more spending power because of last season’s success, now’s the time for Los Verdiblancos to further reinforce their lineup.
Real Betis did just that by bringing in Luiz Henrique and Willian Jose on cheap deals from Fluminense and Real Sociedad, while former Lazio centre-back Luiz Felipe was signed via a free transfer.
Moreover, Betis are also linked to Edinson Cavani and Isco, and the club can sign them both without having to pay much since both players are currently free agents.
Other than bringing in new recruits, Real Betis must also prioritise maintaining their core by rewarding them with new deals.
Nabil Fekir, Borja Iglesias, and Alex Moreno have already extended their stay with the club, and the ones who are next in line are Juanmi, William Carvalho, and Marc Bartra.
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