Atletico Madrid midfielder Alex Baena says Julian Alvarez’s desire to join Barcelona during the summer transfer window frustrated several teammates, though he believes the Argentine forward can gradually repair his relationship with the club’s supporters.
Notably, Barcelona made a serious attempt to sign Alvarez, with president Joan Laporta confirming that an official offer had been submitted.
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Atletico Madrid refused to sanction the departure, keeping the striker in Diego Simeone’s squad despite the transfer controversy.
The episode generated considerable anger among Atletico supporters, eventually prompting Alvarez to issue a public apology.
Baena has now explained how the situation affected the dressing room and why his teammate still has the backing of the squad.
Baena admits Atletico teammates were unhappy with Alvarez
Speaking to El Larguero, Baena acknowledged that the manner in which Alvarez expressed his desire to leave created an uncomfortable situation among Atletico players.
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“It feels a bit strange when a teammate publicly says he wants to leave.
Julian Alvarez wanted to leave Atletico Madrid last summer. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“We didn’t take it very well. I understand that a player might have doubts if Barça or Real Madrid are coming for him, but in the end, I think it was the way he did it that bothered us at Atletico quite a bit.
“We would have supported him no matter what he did. The important thing is that he’s with us, and now we have to give him all the love in the world.
“Personally, I didn’t say anything to him. He’s a very intelligent guy and he knew what he did and how it might have affected us.
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“He apologised to all of us and that makes him much more admirable,” he emphasised about the Argentine striker.
Baena believes Alvarez can rebuild his relationship
The midfielder also addressed the reaction from Atletico supporters, recognising that the controversy has affected Alvarez but praising his decision to apologise publicly.
“It surely affects him quite a bit; he knows what he did back then, he’s already apologised, which is very commendable of him to apologise publicly.
Alex Baena was not happy after the defeat against Barcelona. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“We also understand that Atletico fans are angry about the way he did it, but Julian is working hard and is working to get back to his best.
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“We need him a lot to achieve our goals, and little by little he’ll win back the fans’ affection.”
Baena’s comments also came after Atletico’s 1-2 defeat against Barcelona, a result that left him particularly frustrated despite his team’s encouraging first-half performance.
“I didn’t sleep all night because I went to bed angry; I was overthinking it.”
Reflecting on the missed opportunities, he said: “Playing the best first half we’ve had in a long time. I think we failed to match their intensity throughout the entire match.
“I left angry because we deserved to win, we had much clearer chances than them and we missed the opportunity to take the lead, which we shouldn’t have wasted,” he concluded.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
