Atletico Madrid star shares honest feelings about Julian Alvarez after being left out of the team squad
Atletico Madrid winger Alex Baena shared his thoughts on teammate Julian Alvarez, who missed their 3-1 win over Sevilla. Baena scored twice in the first half, and with Ademola Lookman’s goal, Atletico climbed to the top of LaLiga—at least for now.
Before the game in Seville, all the talk was about Alvarez. He had just returned to training after being out sick and didn’t play in the win on Saturday. There’s been a lot of talk this summer about Alvarez wanting to leave Atletico. At 26, he hoped to join Barcelona, but Atletico’s CEO, Miguel Angel Gil Marin, made it clear they would never sell him to Barca.
Gil Marin was very firm, calling the situation dishonest and unprofessional. He said, “We will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances. You have my word—the player will not be transferred to Barcelona.” This came after Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta said he wanted to sign Alvarez before the transfer window closes.
Arsenal showed interest too, thinking that Atletico wouldn’t sell to a LaLiga rival. But Alvarez has reportedly said he doesn’t want to join Arsenal, despite manager Mikel Arteta’s admiration. During Atletico’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal last weekend, fans at the Metropolitano booed Alvarez because of his wish to move to Barcelona. That kind of reaction usually makes it hard for a player to stay, putting Alvarez in a tough spot as the September 1 deadline approaches.
For now, Alvarez seems set on only joining Barcelona, so there’s a good chance he’ll still be with Atletico after the window closes.
When asked if the team missed Alvarez, Baena gave a clear answer: “No, the team did very well. Both the starting eleven and those who came on played great. We’re just waiting for Julián to get back to full fitness after feeling unwell. We’re ready for him here.”
Baena admitted Atletico didn’t miss Alvarez in their important win without him but is looking forward to Alvarez’s return after he trained with the team on Sunday.