It would be hard to argue with Diego Simeone if he decided to leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season, especially if he believes he’s taken the side as far as he possibly can.

Under his stewardship Atleti have won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and tasted a Europa League triumph. The only blemish on his CV at the Vicente Calderon has been the lack of their maiden Champions League title, he came extremely close on two occasions now. Will he go again next tern?

As a coach he has watched his sides compete and beat some of the best teams in the world of football. Diego has also managed to nurture talent and turn his players into some of the finest footballers on the planet.

The Argentine coach has the same passion as a boss that he had as a player. His sides are tough to breakdown and they have no problem turning a game of football into a dogged affair that irritates opponents.

But as bitter city rivals Real yet again knocked his Atletico side out of Europe’s most elite of competitions, you cannot help but feel that Someone’s mind may have turned to other opportunities.

If he is currently thinking about a new gig then you can bet your bottom dollar that Inter Milan will be upper most in his mind.

Inter represent another of Diego’s former European clubs. He played for the Nerazurri between 1997 and 1999, winning the UEFA Cup with them in 98.

Internazionale have had a recent injection of cash by their new Chinese owners and bringing in a top class coach like Simeone will be a priority as they look to get back into the Champions League and start to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title.

You’d imagine that the Inter hierarchy would offer the new coach a significant transfer budget and a big wage to make sure they could attract one of the world’s best managers to the club.

Diego Simeone is still very good friends with former teammate and Inter legend Javer Zanetti. The former full-back is currently the Nerazzurri’s vice-president and could be a big influence in getting Diego back at the San Siro.

Asked about the possibility of bringing his pal across to Italy, Zanetti said:

“Simeone? Who knows what will happen in the future?”

That suggests to me that Inter would like to have Simeone at their helm one day and probably sooner rather than later.

The challenge of catching Juve and getting Inter back into the Champions League would interest the forty-seven year old boss. He has fought against the odds during his time in Spain and has often upset them on many occasion and has made Atletico a strong third force in La Liga.

So the situation at the San Siro would actually appeal to the Argentine. He would be welcomed back by the support, who want to see the side winning consistently again and fighting for titles. His style can be pragmatic but the Italians more than most appreciate that style of football.

It will be interesting to see if Simeone decides to leave his beloved Atletico Madrid this summer or give Los Rojiblancos one more season of hard work and dedication.

Not many teams would have him swayed at this stage but Internazionale certainly have that pull for him!

 

Posted on May 11th, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article