Atletico Madrid linked with one of the top strikers in Europe
Edinson Cavani could be joining Atletico in the summer as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann.
Atletico are starting to make plans for a future without Griezmann who is likely to join Barcelona in the summer. Plenty of rumours are circulating about who will replace him with Mundo Deportivo reporting that Cavani could be that player. They also report that he is willing to take a pay cut in order to get away from Neymar and PSG.
He would offer something different to the Frenchman because they play different roles at their respective clubs. The Uruguayan is a clinical striker as shown in his time at Napoli and PSG. However, his chances would be limited with Atleti due to their defensive style of play. Los Rojiblancos go long spells without possession due to absorbing pressure, but they do create high quality chances through counter-attacks and high pressing.
Cavani would have to alter his game due to the differences in approach from PSG and Atletico with more defensive work being part of that. His movement would be useful, though, because he is an expert at getting into the right areas at the right time.
Would he be a good fit?
Cavani and Diego Costa would be a fearsome front two, but there are potential issues. They could be isolated from the rest of the team due to the inability to link up. Both players like to play on the last line of the defence. Although that isn’t because they are lazy, both will work hard to close down the opposition. However, Griezmann plays a key creative role in the team which means the majority of the play goes through him.
Replacing that key creative outlet will be Diego Simeone’s toughest task. Griezmann’s decision-making increases the effectiveness of Atletico’s counters while he also provides moments of individual brilliance to break down opposition defences and score crucial goals. If Simeone could find a solution for this conundrum then Atletico would have an extra attacking edge to their play.
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There is no doubting Cavani’s goal scoring prowess, but he isn’t a like-for-like replacement. They might be better off trying to find someone who can fill that specific role. This is why their initial pursuit of Paulo Dybala, also mentioned in the Mundo Deportivo article, makes sense. He excels at playing off another striker similarly to Griezmann. Although Atleti could be intending to bring in two forward players rather than just a striker.