Alvarez Absent as Atletico Dig In: Simeone Vows to Make Striker Feel Important
Julian Alvarez will not travel with Atletico Madrid for Saturday's La Liga match at Sevilla, with manager Diego Simeone confirming the striker is "not in good health" after missing his third consecutive training session on Friday.
The absence deepens a saga that has dragged through August. Earlier in the month, sources told ESPN that Alvarez had submitted a transfer request and named Barcelona as his preferred destination, with an offer of 150 million euros (£128m) reportedly circulating. Atletico's response has been emphatic and repeated: two public statements in the space of 24 hours reiterating that the club will not sell Alvarez to Barcelona. A move to Arsenal, according to the BBC, looks like the striker's only way out — but Atletico have shown no appetite to negotiate at all.
Simeone, speaking to the media ahead of the Sevilla trip, said the club had already been "forceful and clear" on the matter. He also offered a personal note of reassurance. The Argentine manager said he will "do everything" he can to make Alvarez "feel important" at the club when the forward returns to training. Asked whether the situation could still be reversed, Simeone replied: "As long as you have your health, everything in life can be turned around."
That last line landed with some weight. Alvarez's absence is officially health-related, not disciplinary, and Simeone's tone was measured rather than confrontational. But the backdrop is unmistakable: a player who wants to leave, a club refusing to let him, and a manager trying to hold the dressing room steady while the clock runs down on the transfer window.
The timing is awkward. Saturday's opponents, Sevilla, have won their first two matches and, in Simeone's words, "will be high with confidence." Atletico will face them without two attacking options. Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth is injured — "Sorloth's absence hurts us," Simeone admitted — and the manager said his team will need to find goals collectively to compensate.
Simeone rejected any suggestion that the Alvarez uncertainty is affecting squad morale, insisting the players are "working very well." There is at least one positive for the travelling support: new defender Cristian Romero, signed from Tottenham this summer for 40 million euros (£34.2m), will be in the squad for the trip to Seville. Simeone cautioned that Romero "needs time to find his best form" and will not be rushed.
For fans, this is the transfer window at its most unsettling — a star player sidelined, a club digging in, and a manager speaking softly while the walls hold firm. The window closes soon. Whether Alvarez returns to training ready to play or remains in limbo may depend on what happens next.
