The Mario Suárez situation demands a solution

Mario Suárez once again occupied the bench in San Mamés, a further sign that, as the player feels, he does not have the confidence of the coach. Despite the absence of Koke, Mario did not make the starting line-up for a significant match. Atlético must evaluate the midfielder’s future before the opening of the transfer window as the current situation demands a solution. Neither the club nor the player are currently benefitting from it.

The footballer has recognised, for some weeks, that he is bothered by the fact he hasn’t had the first-team minutes he expected, even more so as the club did not let him leave in the summer. The two parties met at the end of last season. There were important offers for Mario but Atlético showed that he would be an important part of their following project. In light of that, the club rejected the offers and kept him in the squad, even though the player was warned that what is happening to him right now might happen. He had already sensed it during the preceding months.

Furthermore, with each passing week that Mario spends on the sidelines, the more his market value decreases. Onda Cero announced on Sunday after the match at San Mamés that the player will leave Atlético in January. That theory is logical, but the situation is not so easy. Atlético’s squad is quite small and Simeone is not in favour of letting him go without finding a replacement. Additionally, Atlético are working to offload Cerci and replace the Italian with a forward that Simeone wants. Several factors must converge in order to facilitate Mario’s departure and the player awaits the decision of the club.

The midfielder has made 18 appearances this season, with 13 of them as a starter. He has racked up 1,191 minutes of first-team action, including 180 minutes during the Copa del Rey matches against L’Hospitalet. Simeone’s first-choice midfielders are Gabi and Tiago, while he also values the options provided by Koke and Saúl. That is what Mario feels and, among other things, that is what motivates his desire to leave the team.

Inter and Napoli follow him

Inter Milan and Napoli were interested in Mario Suárez during the summer. The player is wanted in Italy – there has even been talk of interest from Roma. There has also been interest in the player from England, but not in a form as concrete as that of Inter and Napoli. Piero Ausilio, Inter’s technical director, tried to persuade Atlético to do the deal several times in August, but he was unable to twist their arm to let Mario Suárez go. Now he could resume it all again.

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